nilly-willy, adv.
= willy-nilly.
| 1880 ‘Ouida’ Moths III. 41 You belong to me, and you must continue to belong to me, nilly-willy. 1884 ‘Vernon Lee’ Euphorion II. 182 In these Italian Commonwealths,..poets are forced, nilly-willy, to be platonic. |
nilly-willy, adv.
= willy-nilly.
| 1880 ‘Ouida’ Moths III. 41 You belong to me, and you must continue to belong to me, nilly-willy. 1884 ‘Vernon Lee’ Euphorion II. 182 In these Italian Commonwealths,..poets are forced, nilly-willy, to be platonic. |
Oxford English Dictionary