hem+and+haw
11hem and haw — (Roget s IV) v. Syn. stutter, hesitate in speech, prevaricate, falter; see hesitate , pause , stammer …
12hem and haw — idi a) to hesitate or falter while speaking b) to avoid giving a direct answer …
13hum and haw — (Brit.) HESITATE, dither, vacillate, be indecisive, equivocate, prevaricate, waver, blow hot and cold; Brit. haver; Scottish swither; informal shilly shally. → hum * * * hum and haw or hum and ha …
14hum and haw — (or chiefly N. Amer. hem and haw) be indecisive. → hum …
15hem — hem1 [hem] n. [ME < OE, akin to MLowG ham, enclosed piece of land < IE base * kem , to compress, impede > HAMPER1] 1. the border on a garment or piece of cloth, usually made by folding the edge and sewing it down 2. any border, edge, or… …
16haw — haw1 [hô] n. [ME hawe < OE haga, haw, hedge, akin to hecg, HEDGE] 1. the berry of the hawthorn 2. HAWTHORN haw2 [hô] interj., n. [< ?] (used as) a command to a horse, ox, etc., meaning “turn to the left” …
17hem — {{11}}hem (interj.) late 15c., probably imitative of the sound of clearing the throat. Hem and haw first recorded 1786, from haw hesitation (1630s; see HAW (Cf. haw) (v.)); hem and hawk attested from 1570s. {{12}}hem (n.) O.E. hem a border,… …
18hem — [[t]he̱m[/t]] hems, hemming, hemmed 1) N COUNT A hem on something such as a piece of clothing is an edge that is folded over and stitched down to prevent threads coming loose. The hem of a skirt or dress is the bottom edge. 2) VERB If you hem… …
19hem — Synonyms and related words: adjoin, bank, bar, beading, befringe, begird, beset, bind, binding, board, border, bordering, bordure, bound, box, box in, box up, brim, brink, brow, bulkhead in, cage, circle, circumscribe, close in, coast, confine,… …
20hem — 1. n. & v. n. the border of a piece of cloth, esp. a cut edge turned under and sewn down. v.tr. (hemmed, hemming) turn down and sew in the edge of (a piece of cloth etc.). Phrases and idioms: hem in confine; restrict the movement of. Etymology:… …
