What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Daily vs Dally - What's the difference?

daily | dally |

As nouns the difference between daily and dally

is that daily is a newspaper that is published every day while dally is several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in.

As an adjective daily

is quotidian, that occurs every day, or at least every working day.

As an adverb daily

is quotidianly, every day.

As a verb dally is

to waste time in voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to trifle.

daily

English

Adjective

(-)
  • quotidian, that occurs every day, or at least every working day
  • * Bible, Matthew vi. 11
  • Give us this day our daily bread.
  • * Macaulay
  • Bunyan has told us that in New England his dream was the daily subject of the conversation of thousands.
  • * Milton
  • Man hath his daily work of body or mind / Appointed, which declares his dignity, / And the regard of Heaven on all his ways.
  • diurnal, by daylight, as opposed to nightly
  • Adverb

    (-)
  • quotidianly, every day
  • diurnally, by daylight
  • Noun

    (dailies)
  • a newspaper that is published every day.
  • (UK) a cleaner who comes in daily.
  • (UK, slang) a daily disposable.
  • (video games) A quest in a massively multiplayer online game that can be repeated every day for cumulative rewards.
  • Synonyms

    * daily help * daily maid (woman only)

    See also

    * quotidian * everyday

    dally

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl)

    Verb

  • To waste time in voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to trifle.
  • * Calamy
  • We have trifled too long already; it is madness to dally any longer.
  • * Barrow
  • We have put off God, and dallied with his grace.
  • To interchange caresses, especially of a sexual nature; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport (compare dalliance)
  • * Shakespeare
  • Not dallying with a brace of courtesans.
  • To delay unnecessarily; to while away.
  • To wind the lasso rope (ie throw-rope) around the saddle horn (the saddle horn is attached to the pommel of a western style saddle) after the roping of an animal
  • * 2003 , Jameson Parker, An Accidental Cowboy , page 89:
  • The end of the top rope he dallied around the gooseneck trailer hitch.
    Synonyms
    * dilly-dally

    Etymology 2

    Possibly from (etyl) "da le la vuelta ! " ("twist it around !") by law of Hobson-Jobson.

    Noun

    (dallies)
  • Several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in .
  • * 1947 - Bruce Kiskaddon, Rhymes and Ranches
  • What matters is now if he tied hard and fast, / Or tumbled his steer with a dally .