idle
part of speech
adjective (idle, idler, idlest); verb (idle, idles, idled, idling)
meaning for a pupil
1) Not working or not being used, as in «the machines stood idle». tree →
2) Lazy, not wanting to work. tree →
3) Without a real reason or purpose, as in «idle chatter» or «an idle threat». tree →
4) (verb) Of an engine: to run slowly while the car is not moving. tree →
5) (verb) To spend time doing nothing. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Pharaoh uses it to mean lazy and shirking work. He says the Israelites are idle because they ask to go and worship. Interpretation: Tradition reads Pharaoh's cruel words as an excuse for making the slavery heavier. Moses' request to worship God is treated as the start of the exodus. In the primary lessons: In safety and science: an idling car makes fumes, so many schools have «no idling» signs. In stories: «idle hands», «idle gossip». In computing a computer can be idle. Phrases: stand idle, idle chatter, idle threat, idle away the time.
examples
- But he said: 'Ye are idle, ye are idle; therefore ye say: Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD. (Torah EXO.5.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof; for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying: Let us go and sacrifice to our God. (Torah EXO.5.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and the idle soul shall suffer hunger. (Writings PRO.19.15, JPS 1917) tree →
- Please don't let the engine idle outside the school. tree →
- The tractor sat idle in the shed. tree →
- Don't be idle — help me tidy up. tree →
- It was just idle chatter. tree →
- We idled away the afternoon in the garden. tree →
- His threat was an idle one. tree →
- The computer goes to sleep when it is idle. tree →
- As long as our father lived Alnaschar was very idle. tree →
note
Homophone: «idol» (someone you admire, or a statue worshipped). Adverb: idly. Noun: idleness. In maths, time a machine is idle produces nothing, so it does not add to the total made.
In the corpora
- Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and the idle soul shall suffer hunger.
- Come and bear a hand, Rat, and don't stand about idle!» (bear a hand = help).
- The Camel came by "chewing milkweed most 'scruciating idle" and laughed at them.
- He also learned how habits change: slowly, with fewer silly friends and more to do than to be idle.
- Habits change slowly: fewer friends who lead you into trouble and more things to do than to be idle.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «idle» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.