noun

dilly

DIH-lee

noun

Someone or something remarkably good, bad, or unusual — often used a little sarcastically.

"That last excuse of his was a real dilly."

"The storm turned out to be a dilly, flooding half the town."

adjective

Silly or a bit foolish.

"He gets dilly after just one beer."

How to Use Dilly

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishOld-fashioned slang for something striking or remarkable (can be good or bad), or for someone acting a bit silly.

When to use it

Dated, informal slang — mostly heard in older or folksy speech today.

Common pairings

a real dilly quite a dilly

Word Forms

more dilly comparative, dillier comparative, dillies plural, dillies plural, dillies plural, dillies plural, Dillys plural, most dilly superlative, dilliest superlative

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That last excuse of his was a real _____.

Etymology

Probably from "dill" (as in "dilly-dally," to dawdle) plus the adjective/diminutive ending -y, though its exact origin as slang for "remarkable" is uncertain.

Rhymes for dilly

silly filly billy willy tilly hilly Milly Lilly Jilly gilly chilly Reilly

See all rhymes for dilly →