The Clue
Leave in neutral (4 letter answer)
The Answer
IDLE
Tags
Notes
The answer IDLE is very common and appears about once every 38 puzzles.
Related Clues
Empty
Fainéant
Groundless
Inactive
Indolent
Loaf
Loafing
Nonworking
Otiose
Pointless
At rest
Still
Unemployed
Unmeaningful
Unoccupied
Unused
Vain
Doing nothing
Kill time
Knock about
Lay off
Not busy
Not engaged
Not playing
Not in use
Not working
Out of work
Pink-slip
Recumbent or truant
Thumb-twiddling
Like a "painted ship"
Like a ship at the Tate
Like some chatter
No longer working
Not going anywhere
Not kept busy
Not scheduled to play
Run in neutral gear
Sitting on one's hands
Take it easy
Definition
IDLE as a noun:
1. the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling; "the car engine was running at idle"
IDLE as a verb:
1. (idle, tick over) = run disconnected or idle; "the engine is idling"
2. (idle, laze, slug, stagnate) = be idle; exist in a changeless situation; "The old man sat and stagnated on his porch"; "He slugged in bed all morning"
IDLE as an adjective:
1. not in action or at work; "an idle laborer"; "idle drifters"; "the idle rich"; "an idle mind"
2. (baseless, groundless, idle, unfounded, unwarranted, wild) = without a basis in reason or fact; "baseless gossip"; "the allegations proved groundless"; "idle fears"; "unfounded suspicions"; "unwarranted jealousy"
3. (idle, unused) = not in active use; "the machinery sat idle during the strike"; "idle hands"
4. (idle, light) = silly or trivial; "idle pleasure"; "light banter"; "light idle chatter"
5. (idle, loose) = lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility; "idle talk"; "a loose tongue"
6. (dead, idle) = not yielding a return; "dead capital"; "idle funds"
7. (idle, jobless, out of work) = not having a job; "idle carpenters"; "jobless transients"; "many people in the area were out of work"