hem and haw
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hem and haw
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hem + and + haw
verb hems and haws · hemming and hawing · hemmed and hawed · hem and hah
- To discuss, deliberate, or contemplate rather than taking action or making up one's mind. If you hem and haw long enough, someone else will do it first.
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To mumble and procrastinate in one's speech, especially with a reply to a hard question or with voicing a decision on a topical matter; to evade a question, giving vague answers; to equivocate or temporize.
The man at the Chief Office hemmed and hawed. 'We make it a rule,' he explained, 'to give no information concerning our clients.' 'But in this case,' I urged, 'it is the client who requests you to give the information concerning himself.' Again he hemmed and hawed.
Similar: hacker
Translations
Every language
verb to contemplate rather than taking action
| Deutsch | zögern und zaudern |
|---|---|
| Русский | колебаться kolebatʹsja |
verb to mumble and procrastinate in speech
| Русский | мямлить mjamlitʹ |
|---|
Talk about this word "hem and haw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hem%20and%20haw. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hem and haw. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hem%20and%20haw "hem and haw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hem%20and%20haw.Cite this
@misc{hem_and_haw_2026,
title = {hem and haw},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hem%20and%20haw},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
