contemplate one's navel

English

Verb

contemplate one's navel (third-person singular simple present contemplates one's navel, present participle contemplating one's navel, simple past and past participle contemplated one's navel)

1. To spend time thinking about oneself or one's own interests, especially to the exclusion of others.

   People keep coming to me for advice that they go on to ignore, so I've decided to stop wasting effort on ingrates and instead dedicate more time to contemplating my navel and my many other attractive features and admirable qualities.

   • 1969 September, Marshall Smith, “This old pro is just too mean to quit”, in Life‎^[1], page 77:

     But mainly he wanted to dwell on his resentments, contemplate his navel and work himself into a mean, sullen mood, because that’s the way he plays best.

   • 1978, Don Darling, “The inadvertent adversary to nuclear security—ourselves”, in Joel Kramer, editor, The Role of Behavioral Science in Physical Security, page 1:

     If you sit and contemplate your navel long enough, the answers to all of the problems in the world will pass before your eyes.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see contemplate,‎ navel.

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: tuijottaa omaan napaansa
• French: se regarder le nombril (fr)

See also

• navel-gazing