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Tarry vs Dally - What's the difference?

tarry | dally |

As verbs the difference between tarry and dally

is that tarry is to delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything while dally is to waste time in voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to trifle.

As nouns the difference between tarry and dally

is that tarry is a sojourn while dally is several wraps of rope around the saddle horn, used to stop animals in.

As an adjective tarry

is resembling tar.

tarry

English

Alternative forms

* (l) (Scotland)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) tarien, .

Verb

(en-verb)
  • To delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything.
    • It is true that the Messiah will come, though he may tarry . ( Hitchens quoting translated Maimonides)
  • To linger in expectation of something or until something is done or happens.
  • To abide, stay or wait somewhere, especially if longer than planned.
  • To stay somewhere temporarily; to sojourn.
  • To wait for; to stay or stop for; to allow to linger.
  • * Shakespeare
    • He that will have a cake out of the wheat must needs tarry the grinding.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • He plodded on, tarrying no further question.
    Synonyms
    * (stay or wait, especially longer than planned ): hang about, hang around, linger, loiter * (stay somewhere temporarily ): sojourn, stay, stay over, stop, stop over

    Noun

    (tarries)
  • A sojourn.
    • Synonyms
    * (sojourn ): stay, stop, stop-over

    Etymology 2

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Resembling tar.
  • Covered with tar.
    • Synonyms
    * (resembling tar) pitchy * (covered with tar) bituminized (treated with tar ), pitchy

    References

    * * English heteronyms

    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 .