• lollygag •
Printable Version Pronunciation: lah-li-gæg • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive
Meaning: (Humorous slang) 1. To dawdle, to mess around, to delay someone or something by moving slowly. 2. To mess around, to pet or neck in secret, away from prying eyes.
Notes: Remember to double up on the Gs when you add a suffix to today's silly word: they lollygagged an hour before starting to work; I can't take your lollygagging any more. I hope you aren't a lollygagger if you are thinking of sending me a suggestion for a better Good Word than this one.
In Play: You wouldn't want to use such a substandard slang word like lollygag in any kind of formal text or document, but it is a Good Word to use when you want to hurry someone up without offending them: "Suki, stop lollygagging and let's go. You can put your nails on when we get back!" The use of this silly word lets Suki know you are still in a good mood. In Britain, where a lolly is a lollipop (or loot from a crime) and gagging is choking, this quaint Americanism might evoke less amusement.
Word History: Today's word is compounded from loll "to lie about, relax" + gag "to trick, fool." Loll is still used in phrases such as loll about, doing nothing, taking it easy. The verb to gag isn't used much these days but the noun gag is still lolling around, though its meaning has dimmed to simply "a joke". The original compound seems to have implied that the delaying tactics amount to some kind of tomfoolery but, if true originally, that implication lingers no longer. The meaning of gag has virtually vanished from today's word, as a matter of fact, so that lollygag and loll are near synonyms.
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