drag one's feet
Meaning: To delay deliberately.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The landlord has been dragging his feet over the repairs.”
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: Someone who does not want to arrive walks slowly, scuffing their feet. The figurative use is common from the 20th century.
Other ways to say this
- Russian: Тянуть кота за хвост (Tyanut' kota za khvost) — literally: To pull the cat by the tail
- Portuguese: Empurrar com a barriga — literally: To push with the belly
- English: kick the can down the road
More idioms — Body & Senses
- be tone-deaf — To be unable to tell musical notes apart; also, to have no sense of how others feel.
- throw dust in someone's eyes — To mislead someone by distracting them.
- up to one's ears in debt — Deeply in debt.
- hand on heart — Said when swearing that something is completely true.
- you'll live — Said to someone making a fuss over a small injury or setback.
- with an iron fist — With harsh, absolute control.
More English idioms
- go through the motions — To do something without care or real effort.
- when pigs fly — Never.
- mark my words — Remember what I am telling you; it will turn out to be true.
- lead someone up the garden path — To deceive someone, keeping them hopeful along the way.
- packed like sardines — Crowded very tightly together.
- give someone the runaround — To put someone off with excuses instead of a straight answer.