Time - Putting Off

Master English idioms that relate to being put off, like "play for time" and "rain check".

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to [drag] {one's} (feet|heels) [phrase]

to purposefully act slowly

Ex: They will likely drag their feet on implementing the new policy , causing further frustration among employees .

on hold [phrase]

in a suspended state to be considered and dealt with in the future

Ex: They will likely put the decision on hold until they gather more information .

rain check [noun]

refusal or cancellation of an invitation, offer, or plan with intention of accepting it or doing it at another time instead

Ex: Can we do a rain check on our coffee date ?

to [buy] time [phrase]

to put something off in order to gain more time

Ex: We will buy time by implementing temporary measures while we develop a long-term solution .

to [kick] the can down the road [phrase]

to keep postponing problems one must deal with

Ex: If they keep kicking the can down the road , they will eventually have to face the consequences .

on ice [phrase]

used to refer to something that is temporarily inactive or postponed

Ex: We will put the event on ice until we can find a better venue .

to [sit] on {one's} hands [phrase]

to refrain from taking action when one should

Ex: The team will be sitting on their hands if they do n't take proactive measures to address the problem .

on the fence [phrase]

used to show indecision over something

Ex: The team will be on the fence until they gather more information about the proposed project .

to decide to do something that needs to taken care of right now at another time

Ex:

to [play] for time [phrase]

to try to delay the occurrence of something so that one can prevent it from happening or have more time to properly prepare for it

Ex: The team will play for time in the upcoming meeting to buy themselves more preparation time .