sit on one's hands
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English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
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Verb[edit]
sit on one's hands (third-person singular simple present sits on one's hands, present participle sitting on one's hands, simple past and past participle sat on one's hands)
- (idiomatic) To remain idle when action is needed, perhaps because of fear, ignorance, complacency, indecisiveness, or dislike of the person(s) or situation.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:loiter
- Coordinate term: twiddle one's thumbs
- 2023 March 8, Mel Holley, “TSSA accepts offer, but RMT sets new strike dates”, in RAIL, number 978, page 10:
- "Ministers cannot continue to sit on their hands, hoping this dispute will go away. Our members are fully prepared to fight tooth-and-nail for a negotiated settlement," RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch has warned.
- (theater, informal) To fail to applaud when expected to.
- 1946, Billboard, volume 58, number 40:
- While Boston is a "musical town," audiences here sat on their hands a good part of the time.
Derived terms[edit]
- sit on one's ass (vulgar)
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to remain idle when action is needed
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