to drag one's feet
- idiom
- Informal
:
retrasar
- I'm dragging my feet.
Examples
-
Lorna was dragging her feet about putting up her share of the production money.
-
I find myself dragging my feet this morning.
-
With regard to the whole adoption thing, it is possible that I did drag my feet a little bit.
-
They'd been dating for a while and he was dragging his feet, so she finally suggested they pay a visit to the old country.
-
You're dragging your feet, Gerry.
-
Stop dragging your feet.
-
Quit dragging your feet.
-
Don't drag your feet!
-
I've been trying to get the NSA to authorize an op, and they've been dragging their feet, and now everything is moving way too fast.
-
Stop dragging your feet and start working on the project we discussed.
Synonyms
166
4.3
To delay doing something on purpose to get more time
34
4.6
To hesitate and stay behind the group
26
6.5
To delay doing something you should do because you avoid it
17
5.0
Move or act slowly and waste time, causing delay
16
3.5
Wait before doing something because you feel unsure
6
4.8
To delay doing something to get more time
4
7.7
To waste time by moving or acting slowly
4
5.0
To delay on purpose to get more time before deciding or acting
3
7.5
Do something slowly on purpose and without hurry
3
6.3
Spend time waiting without making progress, doing unproductive things
2
9.3
To delay making a decision to gain time or avoid conflict
1
7.4
To do nothing when someone should act
1
8.3
To waste time by being slow or unsure about what to do
1
7.2
Tell someone to wait and be patient
1
8.6
Wait too long to act and miss a chance
To delay doing something because you do not want to do it
Hesitate instead of deciding or acting quickly
To wait doing nothing because you are delayed or bored
Antonyms
How Slow
- Literature
42
7.8
166
4.3
- Informal
562
1.4
318
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to delay or be deliberately slow' is directly and transparently derived from the image of someone literally dragging their feet: 'drag' (to pull/shuffle slowly) plus 'one's feet' implies moving slowly or reluctantly. This motion→reluctance metaphor is straightforward and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Drag one's feet comes from the image of someone dragging their feet along the ground so they move very slowly because they do not want to go or start. That's why it means 'to delay' or 'be deliberately slow' when you do not want to do something.