# lollygagging

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 3, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548 "2001-12-03T02:19:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Finnie\_the\_Pooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@Finnie\_the\_Pooh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finnie_the_Pooh)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548/1 "2001-12-03T02:19:20Z")

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My wife just told me to quit lollygagging. What exactly is the root of lollygagging? As I understand it, lolly is a sucker, gagging happens when you watch politicians trying to convince the public of their sincerity.  
Could it be that lollygagging is compared to a child wasting time enjoying a sucker?

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**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548/2 "2001-12-03T02:38:23Z")

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[http://www.word-detective.com/093098.html#lollygag](http://www.word-detective.com/093098.html#lollygag)

Word Detective is a very good site.

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**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548/3 "2001-12-03T05:47:58Z")

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Interesting. I had always thought it involved flirtation.

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**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548/4 "2001-12-03T12:48:06Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> “lollygag” is to dawdle, fool around, and just generally do everything except what you should be doing

> [@](#):
>
> My wife just told me to quit lollygagging

You’re going to be in trouble unless you quit lollygagging !!

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**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548/5 "2001-12-03T14:20:16Z")

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In addition to lollygagging, my parents also used to accuse me of…  
dawdling  
cavorting  
galavanting  
sauntering  
carousing

I swear, to this day, I have not seen anyone do ANYTHING that I would call “galavanting”.

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**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lollygagging/96548/6 "2001-12-03T15:35:56Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by GrizzRich \*  
> \*\*In addition to lollygagging, my parents also used to accuse me of…  
> dawdling  
> cavorting  
> galavanting  
> sauntering  
> carousing  
> \*\*

Add “tarrying” to the list. This was the one I was most often advised not to do.