hems and haws
Stalls for time
To hem and haw is to hesitate or speak evasively, making noncommittal sounds instead of giving a direct answer.
The phrase combines two throat-clearing noises people make when stalling: He hemmed and hawed before finally admitting he'd lost the money.
Someone who hems and haws avoids commitment, whether from uncertainty, discomfort, or unwillingness to say what they really think.
- vacillationInability to choose
- prevaricateSpeak misleadingly to deceive
- beats around the bushAvoids saying something directly
- ditheringProlonged indecisive hesitation
- indecisionFailure to decide
wavering · hum and haw · hesitation · back and forth · circumlocution · dilly-dallying · drags one's feet · falter · ambivalence · neither here nor there · indirectness · equivocation · mumble · deflection · doubt · avoidance · stammer · uncertainty
hems and hawsdecides
Reaches a conclusion
commits · chooses · resolves · takes the plunge · determines
hems and hawstells it like it is
Speaks with brutal candor
affirms · declares · gets to the point · cuts to the chase · speaks one's mind