dilly

dilly

See also: Dilly

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈdɪli/
  • Audio (General Australian):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪli

Etymology 1

    From dill + -y.

    Adjective

    dilly (comparative more dilly, superlative most dilly)

    1. Redolent of dill (the herb).
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    dilly (plural dillies)

    1. Someone or something that is remarkable or unusual.
      • 1958, Raymond Chandler, Playback:
        You're the most impossible man I ever met. And I've met some dillies.
      • 2013, Andrew Lycett, Ian Fleming, page 301:
        Seriously, I mean it: From Russia, With Love is a real wowser, a lulu, a dilly and a smasheroo.

    Etymology 3

    Noun

    dilly (plural dillies)

    1. (Australia) A dilly bag.

    Etymology 4

    From Somersetshire dialect; perhaps a blend of daft and silly.[1]

    Adjective

    dilly (comparative dillier, superlative dilliest)

    1. (Australia) Silly; characteristic of a dill.

    References

    1. ^ James Lambert The Macquarie Australian Slang Dictionary (Sydney: Macquarie Library) 2004, page 63.

    Etymology 5

    Contracted from diligence.

    Noun

    dilly (plural dillies)

    1. (dated) A kind of stagecoach.
    2. (obsolete, slang) A night cart.
    References
    • John Camden Hotten (1873), The Slang Dictionary

    Etymology 6

    Noun

    dilly (plural dillies)

    1. Synonym of dilly net

    See also

    Anagrams