sitting on one's hands

A form of sit on one's hands — To remain idle when action is needed, perhaps because of fear, ignorance, complacency, indecisiveness, or dislike of the person(s) or situation.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of sit on one's hands
Cite this entry
APA

sitting on one's hands. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sitting%20on%20one's%20hands

MLA

“sitting on one's hands.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sitting%20on%20one's%20hands. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sitting on one's hands,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sitting%20on%20one's%20hands.

Source: sitting on one's hands on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.