Hemming and Hawing: The Art of Indecision 🤔
To say that someone is “hemming and hawing” is to suggest they’re wavering in their decision-making, perhaps trying to avoid giving a definite answer. Originating in the early eighteenth century, it’s a phrase colorful in both sound and history. Jonathan Swift captured its essence quite well in his poem “My Lady’s Lamentation” (1728): “He haws and he hums. At last out it comes.”
Much later, Bliss Carman gave it a poetic backbone: “Hem and Haw were the sons of sin, created to shally and shirk; Hem lay ’round and Haw looked on while God did all the work” (“Hem and Haw,” 1896).
Related Terms and Similar Expressions:
- Fiddle-faddle: Engaging in trivial or aimless activity instead of taking care of important matters.
- Shilly-shally: Being indecisive or uncertain.
- Vacillate: To waver between different opinions or actions.
- Procrastinate: To delay or postpone action.
- Dilly-dally: Wasting time through aimless or indecisive behavior.
Synonyms:
- Waffling
- Stalling
- Stuttering
Antonyms:
- Decisiveness
- Resolution
- Determination
Quotes:
- “Hem and Haw were good friends; together, they often managed to accomplish nothing.” - B.W. Twain
- “Hesitation is the enemy of completion.” - Unknown
Proverbs:
- “He who hesitates is lost.”
- “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
Literature and Pop Culture References:
- Books: “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, an iconic book about change and decision-making (Hint: Characters Hem and Haw make appearances here too!)
- Movies: “Groundhog Day” (1993) starring Bill Murray, where the protagonist’s daily indecision traps him in a time loop.
- Songs: “Indecision” by Steven Page captures the essence of wavering through musicality.
Quizzes: Are You a Master of Indecision?
Thought-Provoking Farewell: Remember, it’s often better to make a decision and move forward than to remain in the realm of the undecided. For as the wise say, “A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow.”
Published by Literary Larks Press in 2023.
