'hem and haw' definitions:
Definition of 'hem and haw'
(from WordNet)
verb
Utter `hems' and `haws'; indicated hesitation; "He hemmed and hawed when asked to address the crowd"
Synonyms of 'hem and haw'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- about the bush,
- back and fill,
- back down,
- balance,
- beat around,
- beg the question,
- debate,
- deliberate,
- demur,
- dodge,
- duck,
- equivocate,
- evade,
- falter,
- fear,
- fence,
- halt,
- hang back,
- haw,
- hedge,
- hem,
- hesitate,
- hover,
- hum,
- hum and haw,
- jib,
- mammer,
- mince the truth,
- mince words,
- palter,
- parry,
- pause,
- ponder,
- prevaricate,
- pull away,
- pull back,
- pussyfoot,
- put off,
- recoil,
- retreat,
- scruple,
- sheer off,
- shift,
- shift off,
- shilly-shally,
- shrink,
- shy,
- shy away,
- shy off,
- sidestep,
- stammer,
- step aside,
- stick at,
- stickle,
- stop to consider,
- straddle the fence,
- strain at,
- stumble,
- stutter,
- swerve,
- tergiversate,
- think twice about,
- waffle,
- ward off,
- weasel,
- withdraw,
- yield