straddle the fence

straddle the fence
straddle the fence
Fig. to support both sides of an issue. (As if one were partly on either side of a fence.) •

The mayor is straddling the fence on this issue, hoping the public will forget it.

The legislator wanted to straddle the fence until the last minute, and that alone cost her a lot of votes.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • straddle the fence — To straddle the fence is to be indecisive, often to the point where it becomes painful not to make a decision …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • straddle the fence — tv. to support both sides of an issue. □ The mayor is straddling the fence on this issue, hoping the public will forget it. □ The legislator wanted to straddle the fence until the last minute, and that alone cost her a lot of votes …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • straddle the fence — phrasal to be in a position of neutrality or indecision …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • straddle the political fence — be indecisive about a political standpoint, be in between the political viewpoints of two sides …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Fence (disambiguation) — A fence is a structure to restrict or prevent movement. It may also refer to:* Fence (criminal), a person who deals in the purchase and sale of stolen property * Fence (woodworking), a portion of a tool used as a guide * Fence Collective, a… …   Wikipedia

  • straddle — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) v. t. bestride, bestraddle; equivocate; be neutral, sit on the fence. See support. II (Roget s IV) v. Syn. bestride, ride, mount, bestraddle; see balance 2 , sit 1 . III (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) v. 1.… …   English dictionary for students

  • The Stolen Eagle — Rome episode title=The Stolen Eagle caption=Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus, the two main protagonists of the show. season=1 (2005) episode=1 (HBO; see BBC editing) air date=August 28, 2005 (HBO) November 2, 2005 (BBC) writer=Bruno Heller director …   Wikipedia

  • Straddle — Strad dle, v. t. To place one leg on one side and the other on the other side of; to stand or sit astride of; as, to straddle a fence or a horse. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • straddle — v 1. bestride, bestraddle, get astride of, stand or sit astride; sit or stand with legs apart. 2.Informal. refrain from committing oneself, be noncommittal, waffle, hedge, sit on the fence; be vague or indefinite or ambiguous, equivocate, Inf.… …   A Note on the Style of the synonym finder

  • straddle — verb 1) she straddled the motorbike Syn: sit/stand astride, bestride, mount, get on 2) a mountain range straddling the border Syn: lie on both sides of, extend across, span 3) he straddled the issue of taxes …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • The Sugarlands — is a valley in the north central Great Smoky Mountains, locatedin the Southeastern United States. Formerly home to a string of small Appalachiancommunities, the valley is now the location of the Great Smoky Mountains National Parkheadquarters and …   Wikipedia

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