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Tardy vs Dally - What's the difference?

tardy | dally |

As nouns the difference between tardy and dally

is that tardy is (us) a piece of paper given to students who are late to class while dally is several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in.

As verbs the difference between tardy and dally

is that tardy is (obsolete|transitive) to make tardy while dally is to waste time in voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to trifle.

As an adjective tardy

is late; overdue or delayed.

tardy

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Late; overdue or delayed.
  • He yawned, then raised a tardy hand over his mouth.
  • ineffectual; slow-witted, slow to act, or dullard.
  • His tardy performance bordered on incompetence.
  • Moving with a slow pace or motion; not swift.
  • * Sandys
  • Check the tardy flight of time.
  • * Prior
  • tardy to vengeance, and with mercy brave
  • (obsolete) Unwary; unready.
  • (Hudibras)
  • (obsolete) Criminal; guilty.
  • (Collier)

    Synonyms

    * (l), (l)

    Usage notes

    * The term suggests habitual lateness. * Somewhat dated in the United Kingdom.

    Noun

    (tardies)
  • (US) A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.
  • The teacher gave her a tardy because she did not come into the classroom until after the bell.

    See also

    * tardy slip

    Verb

  • (obsolete) To make tardy.
  • (Shakespeare)

    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 .