twiddle one's thumbs
To wait or dawdle; to accomplish nothing useful or lack a useful occupation.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I sat there twiddling my thumbs while waiting for the bus.”
“The meeting was delayed by an hour, so we just sat in the conference room twiddling our thumbs.”
“While the rest of the team worked tirelessly to meet the deadline, he sat at his desk twiddling his thumbs, clearly lacking any meaningful tasks to perform.”
- 01
abound in one's own sense
To follow one’s own inclinations and opinions.
- 02
ace up one's sleeve
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
- 03
act one's age
To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
- 04
act one's age, not one's shoe size
Synonym of act one's age (“to behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish”).
- 05
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 06
air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
- 07
air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
- 08
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
Last updated August 10, 2026