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On the Fence

Undecided about something, unwilling to commit, unable to choose the side

Etymology:

  • This expression originated in the 19th century to make you imagine a person sitting on the fence. The person on the fence is unable to commit to either of the sides of fence. Each leg of that person will be dangling on each side. Similarly, the person who is unable to take a decision and keeps on delaying it is said to be “on the fence.”
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You can’t sit on the fence; you have to make a decision now.

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Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'On the Fence':

on the fenceUndecided; wavering in one's opinion.
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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to On the Fence

colt over the fencefence infence insit on the fencejump the fencefence offthrow one's hat over the fence

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