hem and haw (around)

hem and haw (around)
hem and haw (around)
Inf. to be uncertain about something; to be evasive; to say “ah” and “eh” when speaking— avoiding saying something meaningful. •

Stop hemming and hawing around. I want an answer.

Don't just hem and haw around. Speak up. We want to hear what you think.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • hem and haw — Synonyms and related words: about the bush, back and fill, back down, balance, beat around, beg the question, debate, deliberate, demur, dodge, duck, equivocate, evade, falter, fear, fence, halt, hang back, haw, hedge, hem, hesitate, hover, hum,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • hem and haw — {v. phr.} 1. To pause or hesitate while speaking, often with little throat noises. * /The man was a poor lecturer because he hemmed and hawed too much./ 2. To avoid giving a clear answer; be evasive in speech. * /The principal asked Bob why he… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • hem and haw — {v. phr.} 1. To pause or hesitate while speaking, often with little throat noises. * /The man was a poor lecturer because he hemmed and hawed too much./ 2. To avoid giving a clear answer; be evasive in speech. * /The principal asked Bob why he… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • hem\ and\ haw — v. phr. 1. To pause or hesitate while speaking, often with little throat noises. The man was a poor lecturer because he hemmed and hawed too much. 2. To avoid giving a clear answer; be evasive in speech. The principal asked Bob why he was late to …   Словарь американских идиом

  • hem — hem1 [hem] n. [ME < OE, akin to MLowG ham, enclosed piece of land < IE base * kem , to compress, impede > HAMPER1] 1. the border on a garment or piece of cloth, usually made by folding the edge and sewing it down 2. any border, edge, or… …   English World dictionary

  • hem — hem1 /hem/, v., hemmed, hemming, n. v.t. 1. to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around. 2. to enclose or confine (usually fol. by in, around, or about): hemmed in by enemies. n. 3. an edge… …   Universalium

  • hem — I [[t]hɛm[/t]] v. hemmed, hem•ming, n. 1) clo to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around 2) to enclose or confine (usu. fol. by in, around, or about): hemmed in by enemies[/ex] 3) clo an… …   From formal English to slang

  • beat around the bush — Synonyms and related words: about the bush, around the bush, beat about, beat around, beg the question, bicker, boggle, cavil, choplogic, circumlocute, dodge, duck, equivocate, evade, evade the issue, fence, go round about, hedge, hem and haw,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • Who Moved My Cheese? — Infobox Book | name = Who Moved My Cheese? image caption = author = Spencer Johnson country = United States language = English publisher = Putnam Adult series = genre = Self help / motivational release date = 1998 media type = Print (Paperback)… …   Wikipedia

  • hedge — n 1. hedgerow, row of boxwood or hawthorn, row of shrubs or bushes, weir, Chiefly Brit. quickset; fence, skirt, hem, rim, wall; border, circumference, circuit, compass, perimeter; boundary, bound, limit, confine, confines, edge, edging, fringe,… …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

  • hesitate — Synonyms and related words: alternate, back down, balance, balk, be dilatory, blench, boggle, call a recess, debate, delay, deliberate, demur, dither, equivocate, falter, fear, fight shy of, filibuster, flinch, fluctuate, fumble, gain time, halt …   Moby Thesaurus

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