hum and haw BrE
hem and haw AmE

They hummed and hawed as if this European educational area did not yet exist.

He hummed and hawed until I was half-crazy with it.

While I was humming and hawing, Steve decided to hold auditions.

Grimm hummed and hawed; he cleared his throat.

He hummed and hawed and scrubbed his jaw.

They weren't much help-they hummed and hawed, fidgeted and looked sideways.

And after considerable humming and hawing, he admitted that Marie did bring Tandy into his office.

When I'd finished he hummed and hawed a bit, but finally admitted he was at fault and promised to apologise to you as well.

They hum and haw and pull their beards, but it's my belief that they have no idea what ails him!

Colstoun hummed and hawed.

At least we won't dally - no humming and hawing - no referring the matter to superiors and wasting valuable time.

Gandar hums and haws and begs the question, but you'll admit the truth, King's prophet?"

At these times his thermometer would be placed under her armpit and he would hum and haw about the relative inefficiency of the method.

He shrank from either conclusion; he hummed and hawed and did his best to avoid Aurore's searching eyes.

Old Ranza, a very large and mostly white collie, sighed by her chair as she hummed and hawed at the cottage sketch.

Here Beethoven, after humming and hawing with great sweetness, said "Heigho," and the Andante came to an end.

"Hummed and Hawed" (0:56)

So after a bit of humming and hawing, I told him I'd seen something, just out of the corner of my eye, as I was walking past.

He hums and haws for a bit then he says he'll put them in his car and ask if I can keep them at Combe Court.

On the way to the cemetery, he hummed and hawed, and remarked to Hugo: "Monsieur Balzac was a somewhat distinguished man, I believe?"

"Of course I hummed and hawed, and made a great favour of consenting to his proposal, though really I was delighted to have such a chance.

I did not drop it in so many words, but he took the point at once, and after some humming and hawing he spoke of some remote possibility next week.

Hum And Haw (1986, Antler-Subway, LP)

"Well," Neil hummed and hawed, "in all my varied and extensive experience as a fish patrolman, I must say this is the easiest capture I ever made.

As she hemmed and hawed, another woman came in for the kill.

He hemmed and hawed trying to get the answer out straight.

They may hem and haw a bit; they're not used to visitors.

For almost a decade the Government hemmed and hawed about what to do.

Some of the upper brass began to hem and haw.

After some hemming and hawing came a specific answer: "Four to six months."

Let us have no hemming and hawing; make short, sharp work of the business.

She hemmed and hawed, protesting that her children were too young.

"If they'd just give a straight answer on the tough questions, without all the hemming and hawing."

"There was a lot of hemming and hawing," a senior Administration official said today.

They have been together for 10 years, she promoting marriage, he hemming and hawing.

After listening to their hemming and hawing, I gave some orders.

After some hemming and hawing, the doctor said the odds were even.

The little guide hemmed and hawed for a minute, then nodded his head.

But when people hemmed and hawed about where to eat, the Pearl was still my choice.

After much hemming and hawing, he decided to trust his luck with the others.

There's some surprised hemming and hawing, but, yes, certainly, if I like.

Once the prosecutors saw it they hemmed and hawed then dismissed their own case.

So Washington hung on his every hem and haw.

I mean, I hemmed and hawed about it for a bit.

You did not hem and haw, qualifying the bounds of your trust.

Congress hemmed and hawed until June before approving the legislation.

"They hemmed and hawed for a few minutes and gave it to us."

After a certain amount of hemming and hawing, I advised her not to take the antibiotics.

It doesn't do to hem and haw about these things when Christmas shopping.