lie on the oars

Originating from rowing, "lie on the oars" metaphorically means to take a break or pause effort temporarily.

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Definition

C1General

(idiomatic)To rest or take a break after a period of activity.

Example

After finishing the project, the team decided to lie on the oars for a while.

C1General

(idiomatic)To pause and wait before taking further action.

Example

They chose to lie on the oars and assess the market conditions before making a decision.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "lie on the oars":

lie over lie in laboring oar lie around sit on one's hands lay in lay low lie in the way lie upon lie behind lay about lay on lay over lie back lay back lay open sail close to the wind trim one's sails lie with