idle hands
Boredom's mischief makers
Idle hands are hands with nothing to do, often invoked as a warning about the dangers of having too much free time.
The phrase typically appears in the proverb idle hands are the devil's workshop, suggesting that boredom invites mischief or sin.
Someone might justify keeping busy by saying I need to stay occupied—idle hands and all that.
- mischiefPlayful troublesome behavior
- looking for troubleActively seeking conflict
- boredomWeary disinterest from monotony
- killing timePassing moments idly
- restlessUnable to be still
fidgeting · finger drumming · nail biting · laziness · temptation · trouble · sin · procrastination · loafing · twiddling thumbs · daydreaming · sloth · unemployed · waiting · restlessness · nervous energy · wandering · distraction
- labor idiomsnose to the grindstone, burning the midnight oil, pull your weight, crunch time, work like a dog
- Idle Phrasestwiddling thumbs, killing time, at rest, doing nothing, sitting around
- proverbsproverbs, sayings, maxims, adages, aphorisms
- hard timeshardship, struggle, struggling, unemployment, tough times
- Biblical Laborlabor, toil, sowing, reaping, servant
idle handsGod's work
Service to the divine
honest work · good works · charitable works · industriousness · diligence
idle handshard work
Sustained strenuous effort
labor · toil · productive labor · manual labor · craftsmanship
idle, hand, idles, idled, idling, idly, idleness, idler, hands