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Origin and history of dilly

dilly(n.)

"delightful or excellent person or thing" (often used ironically), 1935, American English, from an earlier adjective (1909), which is perhaps from the first syllable of delightful or delicious. Or perhaps the noun is related to the 19c. nursery word for "duck." Dilly was also slang for a stagecoach (1818), from French carrosse de diligence (see diligence).

also from 1935

Entries linking to dilly

diligence(n.)

mid-14c., "constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken," from Old French diligence "attention, care; haste, speed" and directly from Latin diligentia "attentiveness, carefulness," from diligentem (nominative diligens) "attentive, assiduous, careful," present-participle adjective from diligere "single out, value highly, esteem, prize, love; aspire to, be content with, appreciate," originally "to pick out, select," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + legere "choose, gather," from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak (to 'pick out words')."

Sense evolved from "love" through "attentiveness" to "carefulness" to "steady effort." The legal sense of "attention and care due from a person in a given situation" is attested by 1620s.

From the secondary French sense comes the old use of diligence for "public stage coach" (1742; dilly for short), from a French shortening of carrosse de diligence.

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