Have you ever found yourself with a looming deadline, a mountain of tasks, and a sudden, inexplicable urge to organize your bookshelf by color? Or perhaps you’ve spent an entire afternoon watching videos online, only to look up and wonder where the day went. We’ve all been there. But how do we talk about these moments? Language, in its endless creativity, has developed a vibrant and artistic way to describe even the most unproductive of times through the use of idioms. These expressions are a core part of what makes a language feel alive, and the sheer number of idioms for wasting time in English reveals a fascinating story about our culture.
So, what is an idiom? An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the ordinary meanings of its individual words. When someone says it’s “raining cats and dogs,” they don’t expect you to look outside for falling animals; they simply mean it’s raining heavily. Idioms are a form of linguistic art, providing a colorful and creative way to express ourselves. They use vivid imagery and symbolism to convey a message, making our conversations more engaging, memorable, and rich with figurative meaning.
These phrases are more than just quirky expressions; they are cultural fingerprints. Idioms often encapsulate the wisdom, history, and values of a society in just a few words, offering a unique glimpse into a culture’s way of thinking. For example, the German idiom
“Den Teufel an die Wand malen” (to draw the devil on the wall) is used to describe someone being overly pessimistic. The Spanish phrase
“Tirar la casa por la ventana” (to throw the house out of the window) describes spending money without control. This reveals a curious paradox within English-speaking cultures: we have an enormous collection of often playful
idioms for wasting time, yet our proverbs and historical figures relentlessly warn against the dangers of delay. This tension between a formal condemnation of procrastination and a rich, informal language to describe it highlights a universal human experience.
Ultimately, idioms function like miniature pieces of conceptual art. They take an abstract idea like being unproductive and represent it with a concrete, often surreal, image. Phrases like spinning your wheels or beating a dead horse don’t just state a fact; they paint a picture of futility. This post will explore 40 of the most common and creative
idioms for wasting time, helping you not only expand your vocabulary but also appreciate the artistry woven into our everyday language.
The Art of Inaction: 40 Idioms for Wasting Time
The English language doesn’t treat all forms of wasted time equally. A careful look at these expressions reveals a spectrum of inactivity, from the reluctant shuffle of procrastination to the frustrating grind of futile effort. The idioms below are grouped by the specific “flavor” of unproductivity they describe, showcasing the nuanced ways we talk about doing nothing at all.
Moving at a Snail’s Pace: Idioms for Slowing Down
This group of idioms perfectly captures the act of moving slowly, often with a sense of reluctance or deliberate delay. They describe not a complete stop, but a frustratingly slow crawl.
Drag your feet
Meaning: To do something slowly and reluctantly, often because you don’t want to do it.10
Example: “The committee is dragging its feet on approving the new budget, and it’s holding up progress.”
Context: This is ideal for describing passive resistance or a lack of enthusiasm that results in significant delays.
Dilly-dally
Meaning: To waste time through aimless wandering or indecision; to move too slowly.10
Example: “If you dilly-dally any longer, we’re going to miss the start of the movie.”
Context: Often used with a sense of mild impatience, this idiom implies a dawdling that is causing an issue for others.
Dawdle
Meaning: To move or work slowly and idly, wasting time with unimportant actions.
Example: “She dawdled on her way home from school, stopping to look in every shop window.”
Context: Similar to dilly-dally, dawdle emphasizes slow movement and a lack of urgency.
Lollygag
Meaning: To spend time aimlessly; to be idle or lazy.
Example: “The manager told the employees to stop lollygagging by the water cooler and get back to work.”
Context: Lollygag has a slightly playful but often disapproving tone, suggesting lazy and unproductive behavior in a setting where work is expected.
Take one’s sweet time
Meaning: To do something very slowly, often in a way that annoys other people.
Example: “He’s taking his sweet time getting ready, even though he knows we’re already late.”
Context: This phrase is almost always used with sarcasm or frustration to critique someone else’s slowness.
Tarry
Meaning: To delay leaving a place; to linger or stay longer than intended.
Example: “Let’s not tarry here too long, or we’ll get caught in rush hour traffic.”
Context: A more formal and somewhat old-fashioned term, “tarry” suggests a leisurely delay or a hesitation to depart.
Linger
Meaning: To stay in a place longer than necessary, typically because of a reluctance to leave.
Example: “After the concert, a few fans lingered near the stage door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the band.”
Context: Linger often has a wistful or pleasant connotation, implying a desire to prolong an enjoyable experience.
The Waiting Game: Phrases for Being Unproductive While Waiting
Sometimes, wasting time isn’t a choice but a necessity. This set of idioms describes the neutral act of filling an empty block of time while waiting for something else to happen.
Kill time
Meaning: To do something that is not very interesting or important to make a period of waiting seem shorter.
Example: “We had a two-hour layover, so we walked around the airport shops to kill time.”
Context: This is a very common, neutral idiom. It doesn’t imply laziness, but rather the practical need to occupy oneself during a forced pause.13
Twiddle your thumbs
Meaning: To do nothing for a period of time, usually while waiting for something to happen.
Example: “I finished my work an hour early, so I was just sitting at my desk twiddling my thumbs.”
Context: This idiom paints a vivid picture of boredom and enforced idleness. It suggests you are ready and willing to do something, but have nothing to do.
Sit on your hands
Meaning: To do nothing or fail to act when action is needed.
Example: “The city council can’t just sit on its hands while the traffic problem gets worse.”
Context: Unlike “twiddle your thumbs,” this idiom carries a strong negative connotation of deliberate inaction or negligence in the face of a problem.
Mark time
Meaning: To wait for something to happen without making any progress or taking any action.
Example: “While he waited for his university acceptance letters, he felt like he was just marking time working at the coffee shop.”
Context: This phrase originates from a military command to march in place without moving forward. It perfectly captures the feeling of being in a holding pattern, waiting for the next phase of life to begin.
Pass the time
Meaning: To occupy oneself to make a period of waiting feel shorter, similar to “kill time”.
Example: “We played a game of cards to pass the time on the long train journey.”
Context: A very neutral and common alternative to “kill time.”
Waste away the hours
Meaning: To let a significant amount of time go by without doing anything productive or meaningful.
Example: “On rainy Sundays, we would often waste away the hours just reading and listening to music.”
Context: This phrase can be neutral, suggesting leisurely relaxation, or it can carry a hint of regret, depending on the context.
Idle away time
Meaning: To spend time relaxing and doing nothing in particular.
Example: “He loved to idle away the summer afternoons in a hammock with a good book.”
Context: This idiom often has a positive and peaceful connotation, associated with leisure and rest rather than unproductive work avoidance.
Aimless Activities: Idioms for Frivolous Inaction
This category is for the pure, unadulterated act of doing nothing important, often for fun. These idioms describe playful, aimless behavior that stands in direct opposition to productive work.
Goof off
Meaning: To waste time or avoid work by doing silly or unproductive things.
Example: “Instead of studying for their exams, the students spent the whole evening goofing off.”
Context: This is a very informal and common idiom, especially used to describe the playful antics of children or the unproductive behavior of employees.
Fiddle around
Meaning: To spend time doing small, unimportant things without a clear purpose.
Example: “Stop fiddling around with your phone and help me with these groceries!”
Context: Implies a kind of restless, unfocused activity that isn’t accomplishing anything significant.
Piddle around
Meaning: To waste time on trivial tasks instead of focusing on something more important.
Example: “I need to write that report, but I keep piddling around the house, tidying things that don’t need tidying.”
Context: Very similar to “fiddle around,” it suggests busying oneself with insignificant tasks as a form of procrastination.
Mess around
Meaning: To spend time doing things that are not serious or important; to behave in a silly way.
Example: “The kids were messing around in the backyard, making up games and laughing.”
Context: Can be used to describe playful, harmless fun or, in a more serious context, to imply irresponsible behavior.
Potter around
Meaning: To spend time doing pleasant but unimportant things in a relaxed, unhurried way.
Example: “On Saturdays, he enjoys pottering around in his garden, pulling a few weeds and watering the plants.”
Context: This idiom, more common in British English, has a distinctly pleasant and leisurely feel. It describes a gentle, enjoyable form of unproductivity.
Loaf
Meaning: To spend time in a lazy, idle way.
Example: “Don’t just loaf on the couch all day; go outside and get some fresh air.”
Context: “Loaf” or “loafing around” carries a strong connotation of pure laziness and idleness.
Fritter away time
Meaning: To waste time on small, unimportant, or foolish things, often in a way that you later regret.
Example: “She frittered away her savings on designer clothes and expensive meals.”
Context: This idiom strongly implies wastefulness. It’s not just about being unproductive, but about squandering a valuable resource (like time or money) on trivialities.
Futile Efforts: Idioms for Working Without Progress
Perhaps the most frustrating form of wasting time is when you are actively trying to be productive but getting nowhere. These idioms capture that feeling of being stuck, busy but achieving nothing.
Spin your wheels
Meaning: To expend a lot of effort without making any real progress or achieving anything.
Example: “I’ve been working on this problem for hours, but I feel like I’m just spinning my wheels.”
Context: This creates a powerful mental image of a car stuck in mud or ice, with its wheels spinning uselessly. It perfectly conveys the frustration of effort without results.
Beat a dead horse
Meaning: To waste effort on an issue that has already been decided or resolved; to argue a point with no possibility of success.
Example: “He keeps trying to convince them, but at this point, he’s just beating a dead horse. They’re not going to change their minds.”
Context: This graphic idiom is used to criticize someone for continuing a pointless discussion or action.
Go in circles
Meaning: To be active but make no progress toward a goal; to repeat the same actions or discussions without finding a solution.
Example: “This meeting has been going on for two hours, and we’re just going in circles. We haven’t made a single decision.”
Context: Describes a situation, often a conversation or project, that is stuck in a repetitive and unproductive loop.
Run around pointlessly
Meaning: A literal description that functions as an idiomatic phrase for being busy with tasks that ultimately achieve nothing of value.
Example: “I spent the whole morning running around pointlessly from one department to another, and I still don’t have the signature I need.”
Context: Emphasizes frantic but ineffective activity, often due to bureaucracy or poor planning.
The Art of Delay: Classic Procrastination Idioms
Finally, we arrive at the idioms that directly address the conscious act of putting things off. These are the classic procrastination idioms for avoiding tasks that need to be done.
Procrastinate
Meaning: To delay or postpone action; to put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
Example: “I always procrastinate when it comes to doing my laundry, so I never have clean clothes.”
Context: While not a figurative idiom in the same way as others, “procrastinate” is the primary term for this behavior and the anchor for this category.
Put something on the back burner
Meaning: To give a task or issue low priority; to delay dealing with it.
Example: “We had to put the new marketing campaign on the back burner while we dealt with the urgent server issue.”
Context: This idiom uses the metaphor of a stove. The front burners are for active cooking (urgent tasks), while the back burner is for simmering (low-priority tasks).
Kick the can down the road
Meaning: To avoid dealing with a difficult problem by delaying a decision, hoping it will be resolved later by someone else.
Example: “For years, the government has been kicking the can down the road on social security reform.”
Context: This is a very common idiom in political and business contexts, used to criticize short-term thinking and the avoidance of tough choices.
Stall for time
Meaning: To deliberately delay proceedings or a decision in order to gain an advantage or more time.
Example: “The lawyer knew his client was guilty, so he tried to stall for time by filing endless motions.”
Context: Implies a strategic and intentional delay, often in a high-stakes situation like a negotiation or legal case.
Burn daylight
Meaning: To waste precious, productive time, especially during the day when work could be done.
Example: “Let’s stop chatting and get started on the project; we’re burning daylight!”
Context: An older idiom that emphasizes the value of daylight hours for work. It carries a sense of urgency and a warning against squandering productive time.
Let the grass grow under your feet
Meaning: To delay or wait before taking action; to be idle for too long.
Example: “She’s a real go-getter; she never lets the grass grow under her feet when there’s an opportunity.”
Context: This idiom is almost always used in the negative to praise someone for being proactive and quick to act.
Wait till tomorrow
Meaning: A simple phrase that encapsulates the core philosophy of procrastination.
Example: “I should probably clean the garage today, but… I think I’ll wait till tomorrow.”
Context: The classic procrastinator’s mantra, representing the simple act of deferring a task to the next day.
Table 1: Quick Reference: 40 Idioms for Wasting Time
For easy review, here is a summary of all the idioms covered, their brief meanings, and their typical contexts.
| Idiom | Brief Meaning | Common Context |
| Drag your feet | To delay reluctantly | Procrastination, avoiding tasks |
| Dilly-dally | To waste time by moving slowly | Indecision, causing delays |
| Dawdle | To move or work slowly and idly | Lack of urgency, aimless movement |
| Lollygag | To be idle or lazy | Playful or disapproved idleness |
| Take one’s sweet time | To do something very slowly | Annoying others with slowness |
| Tarry | To delay leaving a place | Formal, lingering |
| Linger | To stay longer than necessary | Reluctance to leave an enjoyable place |
| Kill time | To do something trivial while waiting | Neutral, filling empty time |
| Twiddle your thumbs | To do nothing while waiting | Boredom, enforced idleness |
| Sit on your hands | To fail to act when needed | Negative, deliberate inaction |
| Mark time | To wait without making progress | Being in a holding pattern |
| Pass the time | To occupy oneself while waiting | Neutral, similar to “kill time” |
| Waste away the hours | To let time pass unproductively | Leisurely or regretful inactivity |
| Idle away time | To spend time relaxing | Positive, peaceful leisure |
| Goof off | To waste time doing silly things | Informal, playful avoidance of work |
| Fiddle around | To do unimportant things aimlessly | Unfocused, restless activity |
| Piddle around | To waste time on trivial tasks | Procrastination via minor tasks |
| Mess around | To behave in a silly, non-serious way | Playful fun or irresponsible behavior |
| Potter around | To do pleasant, unimportant things | Relaxed, leisurely activity |
| Loaf | To spend time in a lazy way | Pure laziness and idleness |
| Fritter away time | To waste time on foolish things | Regretful squandering of time |
| Spin your wheels | To work hard with no progress | Frustration, stagnation |
| Beat a dead horse | To pursue a pointless issue | Futile arguments or actions |
| Go in circles | To be active but make no progress | Repetitive, unproductive loops |
| Run around pointlessly | To be busy with ineffective tasks | Frantic but futile activity |
| Procrastinate | To delay or postpone action | The direct term for putting things off |
| Put on the back burner | To give a task low priority | De-prioritizing, delaying |
| Kick the can down the road | To avoid dealing with a problem | Political/business delay tactic |
| Stall for time | To intentionally delay to gain advantage | Strategic, intentional delay |
| Burn daylight | To waste productive daytime hours | Squandering valuable work time |
| Let grass grow under feet | To delay taking action | Used negatively to praise proactivity |
| Wait till tomorrow | To defer a task to the next day | The classic procrastinator’s motto |
| Shilly-shally | To fail to act decisively | Indecisiveness, hesitation |
| Hang around | To wait or spend time idly in a place | Lingering without purpose |
| Time’s a wasting | We are wasting time and should work | A call to action to stop delaying |
| Busywork | Work that keeps one busy but is useless | Unproductive but active tasks |
| Ponce about/around | To behave in an affected or ineffectual way | Aimless, slightly pretentious idleness |
| Play for time | To try to delay an event or decision | Strategic delay, similar to “stall” |
| Lag | To move or make progress more slowly | Falling behind, slowness |
| Goldbrick | To shirk duty or work | Slang for being lazy on the job |
A Procrastinator’s Proverbial Wisdom: Sayings About Idleness
While the idioms themselves can be playful and descriptive, thinkers, writers, and leaders throughout history have issued stark warnings about the true cost of delay. The very culture that created the phrase “twiddle your thumbs” also produced proverbs that treat time as a precious, non-renewable resource. This creates a fascinating narrative arc: we first explore the language of procrastination, and now we reflect on its consequences.
Time as a Finite Resource
Many of the most famous quotes on this topic frame procrastination not as a personal failing, but as a form of theft stealing from one’s own future.
“You may delay, but time will not.” Benjamin Franklin
“Procrastination is the thief of time.” Edward Young
These sayings personify time as an unstoppable force, indifferent to our desire for delay. They remind us that while we can choose to be inactive, time itself is never idle.
The Compounding Cost of Inaction
Another powerful theme is the idea that delay doesn’t just postpone a problem; it actively makes it worse. What is simple today becomes difficult tomorrow, and impossible the day after.
“Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.” Mason Cooley
“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.” Attributed to Martin Luther
This perspective highlights the momentum of inaction. A small task ignored can grow into an overwhelming burden, and a deferred opportunity can vanish forever.
The Antidote is Action
Ultimately, the wisdom passed down through the ages offers a single, clear solution to the problem of procrastination: begin. The focus is not on perfection or grand plans, but on the simple, powerful act of starting.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Walt Disney
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” Karen Lamb
These quotes serve as an inspiring counterpoint to the descriptive idioms. They shift the focus from the art of delay to the power of action, reminding us that even the smallest step forward can break the cycle of procrastination.
Conclusion:
Idioms are a testament to the boundless creativity of language. They transform abstract concepts into vivid, memorable images, enriching our communication and offering a window into our shared culture.19 As we’ve seen, the English language possesses a surprisingly deep and nuanced vocabulary for describing every shade of inactivity, from the playful act of
goofing off to the frustrating experience of spinning your wheels. Understanding these idioms for wasting time does more than just expand your vocabulary; it deepens your appreciation for the artistic flair embedded in everyday speech.
The goal, of course, is not to become a more skilled procrastinator, but to become a more masterful and expressive communicator. By learning these phrases, you gain new tools to describe human behavior with precision and creativity. Exploring procrastination idioms and other phrases for being unproductive is a step toward that mastery, allowing you to paint a clearer, more colorful picture with your words.
We’ve shared 40 of our favorite idioms for wasting time, but what did we miss? Share your favorite idiom for procrastination in the comments below!
