tidy one's sock drawer

verb

To do, or supposedly do, a mundane and unimportant activity as an excuse to avoid something onerous or unappealing.

“My tax return has to be completed today, but I feel a sudden urge to tidy my sock drawer.”

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Meanings

verbtidy one's sock drawer (third-person singular simple present tidies one's sock drawer, present participle tidying one's sock drawer, simple past and past participle tidied one's sock drawer)

present singular third person tidies one's sock drawer · participle present tidying one's sock drawer · participle past tidied one's sock drawer · past tidied one's sock drawer

  1. figurativelyTo do, or supposedly do, a mundane and unimportant activity as an excuse to avoid something onerous or unappealing.

    My tax return has to be completed today, but I feel a sudden urge to tidy my sock drawer.

    1 more example

    That guy at work asked me to a party on Saturday, but I think I'm tidying my sock drawer that night.

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see tidy, one's, sock, drawer.
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“tidy one's sock drawer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tidy%20one's%20sock%20drawer. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tidy one's sock drawer,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tidy%20one's%20sock%20drawer.

Source: tidy one's sock drawer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.