Hem and Haw
A young cousin visited our family years ago. When no one was looking, she helped herself to Mom’s perfume. Lots of perfume. Stink-you-out-of-the-house strong. When Mom asked about it, Kim chose to hem and haw.
Kim looked at the ground, the sky, and the trees. Never at Mom. Regardless of what Mom said, she responded, “I’m just tired.”
Kim did not want to answer Mom’s question. She was not caught red-handed, but she was obviously guilty.
According to The Free Dictionary, to hem and haw is “to refuse to give a definite answer.”
“‘Hem,’ similar … to … ‘ahem,’ [means] to hesitate. ‘Haw’ [means] much the same…. Combine the two, and you have someone who’s stalling for time and hoping not to have to respond any further.”
Some people simply say “hem haw.”
To hem and haw also means to act with uncertainty.
Both meanings often involve:
- Pauses
- Unclear speech
- Poor eye contact
- Vague answers
- Frequent throat clearing (a similar sound to the expression)
Such behavior occurs when people don’t know how to answer or don’t want to answer.
Rather than a direct reply, they stall with meaningless sounds or words.
Saying “I don’t know” or “I did it” sounds better than avoiding the truth.
Honesty helps keep people out of hot water. Choose the right way now to stay out of trouble now and later.
“Speak the truth to each other” (Zechariah 8:16 NIV).
Thanks to Terrie Wilson for the suggestion. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.
NOTE: While exploring related expressions, I discovered I used a similar introduction for beat around the bush. However, it works so well for both, I decided to keep it here too.
Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.
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