Dawdle — A Vocabulary Story
The Marrakech Delivery
Noor weaved her bicycle through the narrow alleys of the Marrakech medina, a paper bag of warm bread balanced in the basket. Her cousin Rajesh, visiting from Mumbai, pedalled behind her, gawping at every spice stall and lantern shop.
"Don't dawdle," Noor called over her shoulder. "Auntie Karen is waiting, and the tagine will go cold."
Dawdle means to move or act slowly, wasting time in an aimless way.
"I'm not dawdling," Rajesh protested, though he had already stopped twice to photograph painted doors. "I'm absorbing the atmosphere."
"Absorbing is just a fancy word for dawdle," she laughed.
They turned into a square where a snake charmer's flute curled through the dusty air. Rajesh slowed again, mesmerised. Noor doubled back, exasperated.
"If we dawdle here, we'll never find our way home before sunset. The alleys all look the same in the dark."
A boy selling figs grinned at them. "Tourists always dawdle in this square," he said in careful English. "It is the most photographed corner in the city."
Rajesh tucked his phone away, slightly embarrassed. They set off again, weaving past donkeys laden with mint and copper pots gleaming like small suns. Noor pedalled briskly, refusing to dawdle even when a kitten darted across her path.
By the time they reached the blue door of Auntie Karen's riad, the bread was still warm, the sky was still gold, and Rajesh had four hundred photographs to sort through.
Word Definition
dawdle
meaning
to move or act slowly, wasting time in an aimless way
synonyms
delay · lazy · linger · loiter · saunter
antonyms
hurry · rush · toil
example sentence
He tends to dawdle during routine assignments, reducing overall productivity.