stonewall
Meaning: To avoid answering a question directly by being deliberately vague about it, or by talking a lot but not saying anything meaningful.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Hem and haw describes being at a loss for words, making only meaningless sounds, whereas stonewall means talking but saying little of substance. The expression is usually used to describe people that want to avoid taking responsibility or answering a direct question.
More idioms — Daily Life
- straight and narrow — The path of correct social or ethical behavior that society approves of.
- strapped for cash — Not having quite enough money.
- street smarts — The knowledge one needs to live on the streets; less literally, it means knowledge of the…
- stretch the truth — To be truthful technically, but to distort the truth so that others are led to believe so…
- string someone along — To make someone believe something that is not true.
- stuffed shirt — A man who is tiresome, pompous and selfimportant.
More English idioms
- strange bedfellows — People or things that one does not normally expect to find together.
- strike it rich — To make money (sentence 1); or, less literally, to be wildly successful (sentence 2).
- suit someone or something to a t — Perfectly; exactly.
- take a shine to someone or something — To like someone spontaneously.
- take it easy — To relax.
- take off — To leave quickly (sentence 1) or to do well in sales (sentences 2 and 3).
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