twiddle one's thumbs
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English
Pronunciation
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
twiddle one's thumbs (third-person singular simple present twiddles one's thumbs, present participle twiddling one's thumbs, simple past and past participle twiddled one's thumbs)
- to circle one's thumbs around one another, usually with the fingers interlaced, usually done idly while waiting or bored
- (idiomatic) To wait or dawdle; to accomplish nothing useful or lack a useful occupation.
- Synonym: sit on one's hands
- He twiddled his thumbs for almost a week while he waited for somebody to set up his computer.
Synonyms
- (circle one's thumbs):
- (wait): bide one's time, hold one's horses; See also Thesaurus:wait
- (dawdle): fool around, lallygag, loaf about; See also Thesaurus:loiter
Translations
to circle one's thumbs around one another
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to wait or dawdle
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