to haw
6
9.9
- verb
- /hɔ/
:
titubear
- Is it okay if I hem and haw for a minute?
- hem and haw
No, no, I'm hearing a lot of booming and hawing over there.
- No, no, I'm hearing a lot of booming and hawing over there.
- Because I was Hemming and hawing and I'm not good at that.
- After much Hemming and hawing, they actually end up going to therapy.
- But I was a little surprised at how pathetic Tim Waltz was, came out of the gate nervous, you know, Hemming and hawing.
Examples
-
I have been hemming and hawing about making baked donuts for longer than I care to remember.
Blog text (23) -
Don't allow them to hem and haw or talk their way around the question.
Blog text (16) -
He's gonna hem and haw for 2 or 3 weeks.
-
Sorry, we don't have time for you to "hem" and "haw" about this.
-
And after hemming and hawing, he even said, "Would you get to the point?
-
You waste time hemming and hawing, and someone else is gonna make that choice for you.
-
So why is she hemming and hawing now?
Academic text (2009) -
Why could he not answer Ed Henry's question instead of hemming and hawing around it?
Blog text (1) -
There was only one more question to ask, and without hemming or hawing, I mustered the courage to ask it.
Fiction book (1991) -
During the meeting, he kept hawing, making it difficult for anyone to understand his point.
Synonyms
3
8.4
To speak slowly and pause instead of answering clearly because you feel unsure
1
7.5
To speak in a soft weak voice when you are shy
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
3
8.4
To speak slowly and pause instead of answering clearly because you feel unsure
Compounds
- US
A small tree or bush with white flowers and dark blue edible berries often grown in gardens
- US
A small tree with leaves cut like parsley that makes red berries and grows in the southern United States
- US
A shrub that loses its leaves in winter and has bright red berries that attract birds
How Hesitant
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb haw comes from the little hesitation sound 'haw' people make when they cannot find the right word; it often goes with hem, so to haw is to pause or 'hesitate' while speaking.