"Willie-nilly I will go decreasing ..." Please tell me what willie-nilly means. Should it be written otherwise? Is it a much used expression? Please elaborate. Thanks. M.R. 30
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" Please tell me what willie-nilly means. Should it be written otherwise? Is it a much used expression?
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" Please tell me what willie-nilly means.
Should it be written otherwise?
Is it a much used expression?
Please elaborate.
[/nq] *****-nilly, adverb or adjective alteration of will I nill I or will ye nill ye or will he nill he It means 'without choice'.
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[nq:1]"Willie-nilly I will go decreasing ..." Please tell me what willie-nilly means. Should it be written otherwise? Is it a much used expression? Please elaborate. Thanks.[/nq] *****-nilly, adverb or adjective alteration of will I nill I or will ye nill ye or will he nill he It means 'without choice'. "*****-nilly young man, you're going to school this morning!"
*****-nilly (usual spelling) also (and in my experience more commonly) means chaotically, without any order, as in "I hurriedly threw my clothes *****-nilly into my suitcase". However, in the example you give, I'm not sure what the sense is. It's not a commonly used expression, and is informal.
[nq:1]*****-nilly (usual spelling) also (and in my experience more commonly) means chaotically, without any order, as in "I hurriedly threw my clothes *****-nilly into my suitcase".[/nq] Are you sure you're not thinking of helter-skelter?
[nq:2]*****-nilly (usual spelling) also (and in my experience more commonly) ... in "I hurriedly threw my clothes *****-nilly into my suitcase".[/nq] [nq:1]Are you sure you're not thinking of helter-skelter?[/nq] One meaning for *****-nilly is randomly, without order. Helter-skelter has kinda been on the outs since Charles Manson went nuts.
[nq:2]Are you sure you're not thinking of helter-skelter?[/nq] [nq:1]One meaning for *****-nilly is randomly, without order. Helter-skelter has kinda been on the outs since Charles Manson went nuts.[/nq] Then there's higgledy-piggledy
[nq:1]Are you sure you're not thinking of helter-skelter?[/nq] Nope. The Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary gives *****-nilly as: "without any order" and gives as an example "She threw her clothes *****-nilly into a drawer."