The Clue
Shelved (4 letter answer)
The Answer
IDLE
Tags
Notes
The answer IDLE is very common and appears about once every 38 puzzles.
Related Clues
Fainéant
Groundless
Inactive
Indolent
At liberty
Loaf
Nonworking
Otiose
Pointless
Recumbent
Truant
Unavailing
Unemployed
Unused
Doing nothing
Going nowhere
Just loafing
Kind of speculation
Kind of talk
Laid off
Not active
Not busy
Not engaged
Not in operation
Not playing
Nothing doing?
Off the job
Out of work
Run at the curb
Run in neutral
Shiftless; slothful
Thumb-twiddling
Eric of "Monty Python"
Just lying around
Like some rumors
"Monty Python" star
Twiddling one's thumbs
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"