idle
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(īd'l) 
adj., i·dler, i·dlest.
v., i·dled, i·dling, i·dles. v.intr.
idler i'dler (īd'lər) n.
idly i'dly adv.
adj., i·dler, i·dlest.
v., i·dled, i·dling, i·dles. v.intr.
- To pass time without working or while avoiding work.
- To move lazily and without purpose.
- To run at a slow speed or out of gear. Used of a motor vehicle.
- To pass (time) without working or while avoiding work; waste: idle the afternoon away.
- To make or cause to be unemployed or inactive.
- To cause (a motor, for example) to idle.
- A state of idling. Used of a motor vehicle: an engine running quietly at idle.
- A mechanism for regulating the speed at which an engine runs at rest: set the idle higher to keep the motor from stalling.
[Middle English idel, from Old English īdel.]
idleness i'dle·ness n.idler i'dler (īd'lər) n.
idly i'dly adv.
Roget's Thesaurus:
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idle
adjective
- Marked by a lack of action or activity: inactive, inert, inoperative. See action/inaction.
- Resistant to exertion and activity: fainéant, indolent, lazy, shiftless, slothful, sluggard, sluggish. Informal do-nothing. Idioms: bone lazy. See action/inaction, industrious/lazy.
- Not occupied or put to use: inactive, unemployed, unused, vacant. See used/unused.
- Lacking value, use, or substance: empty, hollow, otiose, vacant, vain. See full/empty/capacity.
- Having no basis or foundation in fact: baseless, bottomless, groundless, unfounded, unwarranted. See true/false.
verb
- To pass time without working or in avoiding work: bum1 (around), laze, loaf, loiter, lounge, shirk. Slang diddle2, goldbrick, goof (off). See industrious/lazy.
- To pass (time) without working or in avoiding work. dawdle (away), fiddle away, kill1, trifle away, waste, while (away), wile (away). See industrious/lazy.
- To cause to cease regular activity: immobilize, stop, tie up. Idioms: bring to a screeching halt. See continue/stop/pause.
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adj
Definition: lazy
Antonyms: ambitious, busy, diligent, hustling, industrious, productive
adj
Definition: not used; out of action
Antonyms: active, busy, employed, productive, used, working
adj
Definition: worthless, ineffective
Antonyms: effective, important, meaningful, productive, worthwhile
Devil's Dictionary:
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idleness
A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce
n.
A model farm where the devil experiments with seeds of new sins and promotes the growth of staple vices.
Word Tutor:
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idly
IN BRIEF: adv. - In an inactive manner.
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Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'idler'
- Types of Trains, Cars, and Lines - idler: unloaded flatcar placed ahead of or behind oversize load projecting from next car
- Behavior or Personality
See crossword solutions for the clue
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For other uses, see Idle (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Idol.
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010) |
Idle (idling) is a term which generally refers to a lack of motion and/or energy.
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Contents
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Uses
In describing a person or machine, idle means the act of nothing or no work (for example: "John Smith is an idle person"). This is a person who spends his days doing nothing could be said to be "idly passing his days." (For example: Mary has been idle on her instant messenger account for hours.) A computer processor or communication circuit is described as idle when it is not being used by any program, application or message. Similarly, an engine of an automobile may be described as idle when it is running only to sustain its running (not doing any useful work), this is also called the tickover (see idle).
Idleness as dependent upon cultural norms
Typically, when one describes a machine as idle, it is an objective statement regarding its current state. However, when used to describe a person, idle typically carries a negative connotation, with the assumption that the person is wasting their time by doing nothing of value.
Such a view is reflected in the proverb "an idle mind is the devil's workshop". Also, the popular phrase "killing time" refers to idleness and can be defined as spending time doing nothing in particular in order that time seems to pass more quickly. These interpretations of idleness are not universal – they are more typically associated with Western cultures.[citation needed] Idleness was considered a disorderly offence in England punishable as a summary offense.[1]
Books on idleness
The state of being idle is sometimes even celebrated with a few books on the subject of idleness. How to Be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson is one such example from an author who is also known for his magazine, "The Idler", devoted to promoting its ethos of "idle living". Nobel Laureate Bertrand Russell's In Praise of Idleness; And other essays[2] is another book that explores the virtues of being idle in the modern society.
Mitchell Stevens has published a small mini-series magazine entitled "How idle are you?" which goes over basic idle concepts. (Source: North Shore Times Advertiser)[citation needed]
Mark Slouka published his essay, "Quitting the Paint Factory: The Virtues of Idleness"[3] in the November 2004 Harper's Magazine, hinting at a post-scarcity economy, and linking conscious busy-ness with antidemocratic and fascist tendencies.
See also
- Work (disambiguation)
- Laziness
- Leisure
- Loitering
- Inert
- Work aversion
- Refusal of work
- The Importance of Being Idle (disambiguation)
References
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This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking. (March 2012) |
- ^ "ANOTHER branch of ſummary proceedings is that before juſtices of the peace, in order to inflict divers petty pecuniary mulcts, and corporal penalties, denounced by act of parliament for many diſorderly offences; ſuch as common ſwearing, drunkenneſs, vagrancy, idleneſs, and a vaſt variety of others, for which I muſt refer the ſtudent to the juſtice-books formerly cited, and which uſed to be formerly puniſhed by the verdict of a jury in the court-leet." Commentaries on the Laws of England, Sir William Blackstone
- ^ http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html
- ^ http://adamantine.wordpress.com/stuff/quitting-the-paint-factory-by-mark-slouka/
Further reading
- Jordan, Sarah (2003). Anxieties of Idleness: Idleness in Eighteenth-century British Literature and Culture. London: Anxieties of Idleness: Idleness in Eighteenth-century British Literature and Culture. ISBN 0-8387-5523-2.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Idle
Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ledig, doven, tom, unødig, ubeskæftiget, ude af drift
v. intr. - drive, dovne, gå i tomgang, sidde med hænderne i skødet, uvirksom
v. tr. - drive tiden hen, drive den af
idioms:
- idle away drive tiden hen, sløse tiden bort
- idle wheel mellemhjul
- let idle sætte i tomgang
Nederlands (Dutch)
lui, buiten werking, werkloos, ongebruikt, nietsdoend, waardeloos, nietsdoen, stationair draaien, luieren
Français (French)
adj. - paresseux, fainéant, vain, oiseux (une question), inutile (une remarque), à l'arrêt, inexploité (la terre), (Fin) dormant (un capital)
v. intr. - tourner au ralenti (un moteur), paresser, flemmarder
v. tr. - fainéanter, musarder
idioms:
- idle away gaspiller, perdre son temps (à ne rien faire)
- idle wheel roue folle
- let idle faire tourner au ralenti
Deutsch (German)
v. - faulenzen, leerlaufen
adj. - faul, untätig, unbeschäftigt, leer, zwecklos, stillgelegt
idioms:
- idle away vertun, vertrödeln
- idle wheel Zwischenrad
- let idle im Leerlauf laufen lassen
Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - τεμπελιάζω, χαζεύω, αργώ, λειτουργώ στο ρελαντί
idioms:
- idle away κατασπαταλώ (κν. χαραμίζω), χασομερώ
- idle wheel (μηχαν.) ενδιάμεσος τροχός ή γρανάζι
- let idle αφήνω να αδρανεί
Italiano (Italian)
oziare, poltrire, ozioso
idioms:
- idle away sprecare
- idle wheel cambio in folle
- let idle mettere in folle
Português (Portuguese)
v. - ficar sem fazer nada, funcionar parado em marcha lenta (Autom.)
idioms:
- idle away passar o tempo à toa
- idle wheel roda (f) livre
- let idle dar um descanso
Русский (Russian)
неработающий, праздный, ленивый, бесполезный, холостой (тех.), нейтральный (тех.), пустой, лениться, тратить время попусту, работать на холостом ходу
idioms:
- idle away растрачивать
- idle wheel паразитное зубчатое колесо
- let idle оставить в покое
Español (Spanish)
adj. - ocioso
v. intr. - haraganear, gandulear, estar ocioso, vagar
v. tr. - gastar ociosamente, hacer marchar en mínima el motor de un coche estando parado
idioms:
- idle away perder, desperdiciar
- idle wheel rueda intermedia, rueda loca
- let idle hacer funcionar en vacío, girar loco
Svenska (Swedish)
v. - slösa bort tiden, lata sig, gå på tomgång
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
懒惰的, 停顿的, 闲散的, 无所事事, 闲逛, 闲混, 空转, 虚度, 使空转, 使空闲
idioms:
- idle away 荒废, 浪费荒废, 浪费
- idle wheel 中间齿轮, 惰轮, 滚轮
- let idle 让引擎空转, 让时光虚度
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 懶惰的, 停頓的, 閒散的
v. intr. - 無所事事, 閒逛, 閑混, 空轉
v. tr. - 虛度, 使空轉, 使空閒
idioms:
- idle away 荒廢, 浪費荒廢, 浪費
- idle wheel 中間齒輪, 惰輪, 滾輪
- let idle 讓引擎空轉, 讓時光虛度
한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 게으름뱅이의, 한가한, 무익한
v. intr. - 게으름을 피우고있다, 헛돌다
v. tr. - 헛돌게 하다, 놀게 하다
idioms:
- idle away 헛되이 보내다
日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 仕事をしていない, 利用されていない, 怠けた, むだな, くだらない, 怠けている, 怠惰な, 遊んでいる, 暇な
v. - 怠ける, 空回りする, 怠けて過ごす, 空費する
idioms:
- idle away 怠けて過ごす
- idle wheel 遊び車
- let idle 怠けさせる
العربيه (Arabic)
(فعل) يتكاسل, يعطل عن العمل
עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - בטל, לא עובד, עצל, חסר-תועלת, חסר-ערך
v. intr. - התבטל, פעל בהילוך סרק
v. tr. - התבטל, פעל בהילוך סרק, בזבז זמן
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