hum and haw (also hem and haw, esp. USA)
colloquial verb phrase

- to be uncertain and take a long time deciding something

The Cambridge Dictionary

—
PHRASE ORIGIN

The expression "hum and haw" is a tale of two words, both of which are imitative, meaning they imitate a sound.

Hum is closely related to "ahem,” an exclamation that according to the Cambridge Dictionary "is used to represent the little cough that someone makes to express slight embarrassment, enjoyment, doubt, disapproval, or to attract attention."

Haw is an obsolete word from the 16th century that meant "hesitant in speaking." It's similar to "hum" and is related to "haw-haw," which describes a high-minded snobby way of speaking.

The US English version replaced hum with "hem," which means a short cough or clearing of the throat made especially to gain attention, warn another, hide embarrassment, or fill a pause in speech.

Hem also refers to an edge or border on a piece of cloth, especially a finished edge, as for a garment or curtain, made by folding an edge under and stitching it down.

As a verb, hem means to surround something in, or to enclose.

—
ON HESITATION

- “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do. The worst thing you can do is nothing." (Theodore Roosevelt)

- "You may delay, but time will not." (Benjamin Franklin)

- "Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out." (Italian proverb)

- "The only thing more exhausting than making a decision is revisiting the decision over and over again." (Unknown)

- "Indecision may or may not be my problem." (Jimmy Buffett)

—
SYNONYMS

beat about the bush, dance around, dither, dodge the question, equivocate, evade (the issue), hedge, HEM AND HAW, HUM AND HAW, mince words, prevaricate, pussyfoot (around), shilly-shally, tergiversate, tick-toe around, vacillate, waffle

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

"After HUMMING AND HAWING at great length, they finally decided to buy their own house."

—
Every month, we spend evening and weekend hours researching and writing your daily OWAD. It remains FREE, AD-free, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers. If you aren’t already, please also consider supporting us - even the equivalent of a single cup of coffee a month will help us cover mailing, site hosting, and maintenance costs. Just head over to our secure DonorBox page:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-5-3

or bank transfer to Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40
Please use your email-address as ‘Verwendungszweck’

Thanks so much,

Paul Smith
(OWAD-Founder)