hem and haw

Idioms and Phrases

Be hesitant and indecisive; avoid committing oneself, as in When asked about their wedding date, she hemmed and hawed , or The President hemmed and hawed about new Cabinet appointments . This expression imitates the sounds of clearing one's throat. [Late 1700s]

Example Sentences

“To see almost the entire G.O.P., but also a decent number of Democrats, equivocate and hem and haw and filibuster, and ultimately bend yet again to pressure from the gun lobby.”

From New York Times

This is as settled as science can be, yet Congress continues to hem and haw and fail to take meaningful action.

From Seattle Times

Most real estate TV quests are partially faked; many times, the couples have already bought the home they pretend to hem and haw over before choosing it in the end.

From Salon

While Westerners trying to describe smells tend to hem and haw and squint into space, searching for descriptors, speakers of these languages are declarative and decisive.

From New York Times

Chuck Grassley would “hem and haw about this or that problem he had with the bill without telling us what exactly it would take to get him to yes.”

From New York Times