Past tense of dawdle; moved slowly, lingered, or wasted time without hurrying.
From 'dawdle,' which likely comes from Scottish or Northern English dialect, possibly related to 'toddle' or Scandinavian roots meaning to loiter or move slowly without purpose.
The verb 'dawdle' perfectly captures that human tendency to procrastinate—it's so evocative that we've been using it since the 1600s, and it pairs perfectly with 'dilly' in 'dilly-dally,' showing how English loves playful sound repetition.
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