twiddle one's thumbs
The phrase "twiddle one's thumbs" is an idiomatic expression often used to describe a state of inactivity or boredom.
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Definition
B2General
(informal)To wait idly without any productive activity, often due to boredom.
Example
- She sat in the waiting room, twiddling her thumbs until her name was called.
- With nothing to do, he spent the afternoon twiddling his thumbs.
B2General
(informal)To fidget with one's thumbs, often out of impatience or nervousness.
Example
- He twiddled his thumbs nervously while waiting for the interview to start.
- She twiddled her thumbs as she anxiously awaited the test results.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "twiddle one's thumbs":
sit on one's handsfiddle aroundkick one's heelstwirl one's moustachefiddle awaythumb one's nosedrag one's feetdick around