hum and haw: meaning & examples

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Language: English

Meanings:

  • 1.

    United Kingdomalso used elsewhereidiomaticinformal
    • To hesitate, vacillate, or delay making a decision, often through indecisive speech or behavior.

    Examples

    Beta

    • He hummed and hawed for several minutes before finally deciding which college to attend.

      Él dudó durante varios minutos antes de finalmente decidir a qué universidad asistir.

    • Stop hum and hawing and tell me whether you want to join the team or not.

      Deja de dudar y dime si quieres unirte al equipo o no.

    • They had been hum and hawing about the proposal all afternoon, unable to reach a conclusion.

      Habían estado vacilando sobre la propuesta toda la tarde, incapaces de llegar a una conclusión.

  • 2.

    variousliteralneutral
    • To make sounds of humming and hawing, typically indicating hesitation or uncertainty.

    Examples

    Beta

    • She was humming and hawing nervously before giving her presentation.

      Ella estaba haciendo sonidos de duda nerviosamente antes de dar su presentación.

    • The politician was hum and hawing during the interview, avoiding direct answers.

      El político estaba dudando durante la entrevista, evitando respuestas directas.

    • We could hear him hum and haw as he struggled to choose the right words.

      Podíamos oírlo dudar mientras luchaba por elegir las palabras correctas.

    • I noticed you were hum and hawing when asked about your plans; is something bothering you?

      Noté que estabas dudando cuando te preguntaron sobre tus planes; ¿te preocupa algo?

Examples:

  • EN: Honestly though, I've seen you change, and every month, you hum and haw and hiss and pooh-pooh on it, and it really doesn't seem that bad.
    ID: Sejujurnya, aku pernah melihatmu berubah dan setiap bulan, kau melaluinya tak tampak seburuk itu.
  • EN: Look how you hum and haw.
    ID: Lihat bagaimana kau bersenandung.
  • EN: Do not hum and haw later.
    ID: Jangan sampai berantakan nanti.
  • EN: Honestly though, I've seen you change, and every month, you hum and haw and hiss and pooh-pooh on it, and it really doesn't seem that bad. I'm just gonna say it.
    ES: Sinceramente, te he visto transformarte, y todos los meses, zumbas y tartamudeas y siseas y lo desprecias, y solo diré que no parece tan malo.

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Sourced from Wiktionary

Source: Wiktionary

hum and haw: Meaning, Examples & Usage (English) | Idiomator