hem and haw
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.86 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To discuss, deliberate, or contemplate rather than taking action or making up one's mind.
American usage
Example Sentences
- "If you hem and haw long enough, someone else will do it first."
- "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."
- "These New Yawk publishers hem and haw and say like well we’d LOVE to publish yer great friends but would it sell and I’m overloaded and this and that — everything but that they really don’t want to publish the writing; […]"
- "[Pogo:] How can you provide [someone] with scripts what tells him what to say all day long? […] / [Howland Owl:] It's a boon to humanity … How many dolts do you know who hems an' haws their way thru life? – I gives 'em talk."
Etymology
Usage
- American usage