dally

(dale vuelta [dále bwéjta]< dar 'to give' < Latin dare 'to give' plus dative pronoun le and vuelta [bwéjta] 'a turn,' nominalized participial form of volver 'to return' < Latin volvere 'to roll, turn around'; the theory that this term derived from the infinitive form dar la vuelta 'to take the turn' is less plausible).

   1) West: 1921. As a verb, to pass the rope around the saddlehorn after making a throw in order to bring an animal down; to snub. This is an early technique, associated with the Mexican vaqueros. Blevins notes that in Texas the more popular technique was the "hard-and-fast" method, in which ropers would secure one end of the rope to the saddlehorn before making a throw.

   Alternate forms: dale, dalebuelta, dally welta, dolly, dolly welter.

   2) Arizona: 1915. As a noun, a turn of the rope around the saddlehorn. Neither of these meanings is referenced in Spanish sources. In Spanish, dale vuelta has the general meaning of 'give it a turn.' Clark provides a third meaning for the term: to move slowly, "as if a brake had been applied." Clark's suggestion that this is an extension of one of the above meanings is unfounded; the OED references dally with this meaning and attests to its use in English as early as 1538.