n. pl. [ F. dalle a tube, gutter, trough. ] A rapid, esp. one where the channel is narrowed between rock walls. [ Northwestern U. S. & Canada ]

The place below, where the compressed river wound like a silver thread among the flat black rocks, was the far-famed Dalles of the Columbia. F. H. Balch. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ From Dally. ] 1. The act of dallying, trifling, or fondling; interchange of caresses; wanton play. [ 1913 Webster ]

Look thou be true, do not give dalliance
Too much the rein. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

O, the dalliance and the wit,
The flattery and the strife! Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Delay or procrastination. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Entertaining discourse. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who fondles; a trifler; as, dalliers with pleasant words. Asham. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a tall tufted perennial tropical American grass (Paspalum dilatatum) naturalized as pasture and forage grass in the southern U.S.
Syn. -- paspalum, Paspalum dilatatum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Etymol. unknown. ] A tuft or clump. [ Obs. ] Tusser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To delay unnecessarily; to while away. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dallying off the time with often skirmishes. Knolles. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Dallied p. pr. & vb. n. Dallying. ] [ OE. dalien, dailien; cf. Icel. pylja to talk, G. dallen, dalen, dahlen, to trifle, talk nonsense, OSw. tule a droll or funny man; or AS. dol foolish, E. dull. ] 1. To waste time in effeminate or voluptuous pleasures, or in idleness; to fool away time; to delay unnecessarily; to tarry; to trifle. [ 1913 Webster ]

We have trifled too long already; it is madness to dally any longer. Calamy. [ 1913 Webster ]

We have put off God, and dallied with his grace. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To interchange caresses, especially with one of the opposite sex; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not dallying with a brace of courtesans. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our aerie . . . dallies with the wind. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]