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- sit on hands
sit on hands
sit on one's hands
Fig. to do nothing; to fail to help. (See also
sit on its hands.)
When we needed help from Mary, she just sat on her hands. We need the cooperation of everyone. You can't sit on your hands! sit on your hands
to take no action Many companies are sitting on their hands, unable to decide which of the new technologies for linking computers is the smartest choice.
sit on your hands
to do nothing about a problem or a situation that needs dealing with Every day the crisis worsens and yet the government seems content to sit on its hands.
sit on (one's) hands
To fail to act.