WILLY-NILLY

[Dr. Goodword]

• willy-nilly •

Pronunciation: wil-ee-nil-ee • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adverb, Adjective

Meaning: 1. Nolens volens, like it or not, without a choice, obligatorily. 2. At random, haphazard or haphazardly, without plan.

Notes: This word has strayed away from its original meaning and is used more often in the second sense above in the US. The Word History will show that the first definition above is the basic meaning, though the new one seems to be here, willy-nilly, to stay. This word may be used as an adverb, as to do something willy-nilly, or as an adjective, as a willy-nilly order to do something.

In Play: The basic meaning of today's Good Word is No. 1 above: "When one of the actors fell and literally broke a leg, Barry Moore found himself willy-nilly taking over the role of the cab driver in his high school's production of the play 'Harvey'." The second definition seems to be here to stay, so we are OK when we say things like this: "If you guys want to win this game, you have to stick to our plays and not run willy-nilly all over the field hoping to get a shot at the goal."

Word History: Today's Good Word is a rhyming compound based on two discrete words. It originated in a phrase will ye, nill ye "whether you will (it) or not". Nill is the negative counterpart of will that went out of service back in the 18th century. It was a contraction of negative particle ne (currently nay) + will. In the middle ages English speakers could say something like "I will go" or "I nill go", the latter meaning "I won't go". Will came from an original stem that spread with all the Indo-European languages. It originally meant something like "to please", for it turned up in Russian as volya "will", in Serbian as voleti "to love", in Greek as elpis "hope", and in French as vouloir "want, desire". (We shouldn't thank Brian Johnson of Tokyo willy-nilly for suggesting today's Good Word, but because he deserves our gratitude. We hope he is OK after the tsunami that struck north of Tokyo recently.)

[MTC]

One thing I love about this word is how the back and forth sound reinforces the meaning, in particular the second sense of the word, to vacillate. "Willy-nilly" vacillates in indecision like a wiper blade.

[Perry]

One thing I love about this word is how the back and forth sound reinforces the meaning, in particular the second sense of the word, to vacillate. "Willy-nilly" vacillates in indecision like a wiper blade.

You could be giving rise to a third definition, vacillate, stemming from the "will ye, will ye not".

[MTC]

Thanks, Perry.

There is brief mention of the "vacillate" sense at the following website: http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-wil2.htm

Always ready to surf the new wave here in California.

[Stargzer]

From one of my favorite poems, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

XXIX
Into this Universe, and Why not knowing
Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing;
And out of it, as Wind along the Waste,
I know not Whither, willy-nilly blowing.

[bnjtokyo]

The earthquake was unsettling; the tsunami bad, but no effect in my neighborhood; the current situation anxiety producing, but the proximate danger overrated (the increased rate of thyroid cancer the only health effect after Chernobyl and I am too old to take potassium iodide). And I have put down some roots here. So, willy nilly, I'm staying, at least until it gets worse.

Nonetheless, thank you for your thoughts and concern.

In the meantime, I'll get on my bike and train for the SadoMasochist endro ride on Sado Island later in the spring.

[Stargzer]

... (the increased rate of thyroid cancer the only health effect after Chernobyl and I am too old to take potassium iodide)....

Nonetheless, thank you for your thoughts and concern.

...

It's good to hear that you're OK. I don't have to worry about thyroid cancer; they took my thyroid out almost a year-and-a-half ago. Three cheers for generic levothyroxine!

(I wonder if I should volunteer for reactor duty?)