twiddle one's thumbs

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twiddle one's thumbs (third-person singular simple present twiddles one's thumbs, present participle twiddling one's thumbs, simple past and past participle twiddled one's thumbs)

1. to circle one's thumbs around one another, usually with the fingers interlaced, usually done idly while waiting or bored
2. (idiomatic) To wait or dawdle; to accomplish nothing useful or lack a useful occupation.

   Synonym: sit on one's hands

   He twiddled his thumbs for almost a week while he waited for somebody to set up his computer.

• (circle one's thumbs):
• (wait): bide one's time, hold one's horses; See also Thesaurus:wait
• (dawdle): fool around, lallygag, loaf about; See also Thesaurus:loiter