lollygag means silliness, nonsense. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 70 out of 100.
Why this word is great
LOLLYGAG — [Verb] To dawdle or idle about, cultivating an artful, almost performative vacancy. Its likely roots are in English dialectal lolly (“tongue”) + gag (“to deceive, trick”), implying idle or deceptive talk; compare the obsolete term lollypoop. Unlike “dawdle,” which implies a mere slowing of purposeful motion, or “procrastinate,” which centers on the grim deferral of a specific duty, to lollygag is to abandon the objective entirely for a frivolous, sun-dappled alternative. It is the boy hypnotized by a ladybug’s progress across a fence post, the clerk gazing at a drifting leaf, the gardener savoring the unproductive shape of a cloud—a gentle rebellion against the tyranny of purpose, finding in suspension a small, private victory.
noun
- Silliness, nonsense.“He likes to do his car up with blacked-out windows, and all that lollygag.”
- A useless or worthless person or thing.“The lallygag strolls down the road that leads to Failureville.”
verb
- To dawdle; to be lazy or idle; to avoid necessary work or effort.“Stop lollygagging! […] He ate ALL the ship's food! 'Zat your friend? Show him outta here!”
- To fool around, especially sexually.“Lovemaking and lollygagging are hereby strictly forbidden. […] The holding of hands, osculation and constant embracing of WAVES, corpsmen or civilians and sailors or any combination of male and female personnel is a violation of naval discipline. […]”
- To effusively (often excessively) display affection.“At the fair the other day George and Sue were lollygagging around like two sick kittens.”