idle

adj.

1. 懈怠的；懒惰的
   not working hard
   1. an idle student
      懒散的学生
2. 闲置的
   not in use
   1. to lie/stand/remain idle
      闲置着
3. 没有工作的；闲散的
   without work
   1. Over ten per cent of the workforce is now idle.
      现在有超过百分之十的劳动力闲置。
4. 漫无目的的；无效的；无用的
   with no particular purpose or effect; useless
   1. idle chatter/curiosity
      无聊的唠叨 / 好奇
   2. It was just an idle threat (= not serious) .
      那只不过是吓唬吓唬而已。
   3. It is idle to pretend that their marriage is a success.
      佯称他们的婚姻有多美满是无意义的。
5. 空闲的
   not spent doing work or sth particular
   1. In idle moments, he carved wooden figures.
      他空闲时就刻木雕。

verb

1. 混时间；闲荡；无所事事
   to spend time doing nothing important
   1. They idled the days away, talking and watching television.
      他们天天在闲聊和看电视中消磨时光。
   2. They idled along by the river (= walked slowly and with no particular purpose) .
      他们沿着河边闲逛。
2. 空转；挂空挡；未熄火
   to run slowly while the vehicle is not moving
   1. She left the car idling at the roadside.
      她把汽车挂空挡停在路边。
3. （尤指暂时地）关闭工厂，使（工人）闲着
   to close a factory, etc. or stop providing work for the workers, especially temporarily
   1. The strikes have idled nearly 4 000 workers.
      罢工使近4 000名工人闲着没事干。

1. ADJ 无事可做的;闲散的
   If people who were working are idle, they have no jobs or work.
   1. Employees have been idle almost a month because of shortages.
      由于原料短缺，员工们已将近一个月无事可做。
2. ADJ (机器、工厂等)闲置的
   If machines or factories are idle, they are not working or being used.
   1. Now the machine is lying idle.
      如今机器闲置着。
   2. ...factories that had been idle for years.
      已经闲置多年的工厂
3. ADJ 懒散的;懒惰的;无所事事的
   If you say that someone is idle, you disapprove of them because they are not doing anything and you think they should be.
   1. ...idle bureaucrats who spent the day reading newspapers...
      无所事事、整天看报纸的官僚们
   2. I never met such an idle bunch of workers in all my life!
      我一辈子都没碰到过像他们这样吃白饭的工人！
4. ADJ 琐碎无聊的;毫无意义的
   Idle is used to describe something that you do for no particular reason, often because you have nothing better to do.
   1. Brian kept up the idle chatter for another five minutes.
      布赖恩又絮絮地唠叨了5分钟。
   2. ...idle curiosity.
      无聊的好奇心
5. ADJ 徒劳的;徒然的;无用的
   If you say that it is idle to do something, you mean that it is not worth doing it, because it will not achieve anything.
   1. It would be idle to pretend the system is perfect.
      假装系统完美无疵是徒劳的。
6. ADJ 虚张声势的;唬人的
   You refer to an idle threat or boast when you do not think the person making it will or can do what they say.
   1. It was more of an idle threat than anything...
      那其实是唬人的话。
   2. His statement isn't merely an idle boast.
      他的话不仅仅是虚张声势的自夸。
7. VERB 无所事事;闲混;闲逛
   If you idle, you spend time in a lazy way, doing nothing in particular.
   1. When they reached his house, Scobie idled a bit, finishing his cigarette...
      他们到他家后，斯科比闲逛了一会儿，抽完了他的香烟。
   2. We spent many hours idling in one of the cafes that line three sides of the tiny piazza...
      露天小市场的三面都有小餐馆，我们在其中一家餐馆闲呆了很长时间。
   3. He idled around afterwards, window shopping until about 5pm.
      然后他就闲逛，浏览橱窗直到下午 5 点钟左右。
8. VERB 使（工厂等）停工
   To idle a factory or other place of work means to close it down because there is no work to do or because the workers are on strike.
   1. ...idled assembly plants.
      停业的装配厂

in BRIT, usually use 英国英语通常用 shut down


9. VERB 使闲散;使无事可做
   To idle workers means to stop them working.
   1. The strike has idled about 55,000 machinists.
      罢工使约 55,000 名机械师无事可做。

in BRIT, use 英国英语用 lay off


10. VERB (发动机、车辆)空转
    If an engine or vehicle is idling, the engine is running slowly and quietly because it is not in gear, and the vehicle is not moving.
    1. Beyond a stand of trees a small plane idled...
       在树林的那一边,一架小飞机停在那里,发动机在空转。
    2. Her Daimler limo waits with its engine idling.
       她的戴姆勒豪华轿车原地待命,发动机在空转。

1. In contrast to similar services in France and Germany, Intercity rolling stock is very rarely idle.
   与法国和德国的类似铁路服务系统不同，“城际列车”很少闲置。
2. The earth-moving trucks and cement mixers lay idle.
   运土卡车和混凝土搅拌机闲置着。
3. Employees have been idle almost a month because of shortages.
   由于原料短缺，员工们已将近一个月无事可做。
4. Now the machine is lying idle.
   如今机器闲置着。
5. I never met such an idle bunch of workers in all my life!
   我一辈子都没碰到过像他们这样吃白饭的工人！
6. It would be idle to pretend the system is perfect.
   假装系统完美无疵是徒劳的。
7. It was more of an idle threat than anything
   那其实是唬人的话。
8. His statement isn't merely an idle boast.
   他的话不仅仅是虚张声势的自夸。
9. When they reached his house, Scobie idled a bit, finishing his cigarette
   他们到他家后，斯科比闲逛了一会儿，抽完了他的香烟。
10. We spent many hours idling in one of the cafes that line three sides of the tiny piazza
    露天小市场的三面都有小餐馆，我们在其中一家餐馆闲呆了很长时间。
11. Beyond a stand of trees a small plane idled
    在树林的那一边，一架小飞机停在那里，发动机在空转。
12. Her Daimler limo waits with its engine idling.
    她的戴姆勒豪华轿车原地待命，发动机在空转。
13. He proclaimed his fellow-feeling with workers, and denounced plutocrats and the idle rich in terms which caused them alarm.
    他声明了自己对工人的同情，并谴责了财阀和游手好闲的富人，其言辞之厉令这些人惶惶不安。
14. How can you do your business if you just idle and do no decent work?
    你成天游手好闲，不务正业，还能做好自己的本职工作？
15. Don't idle about.
    不要游手好闲。
16. He is conscientious and diligent, and is never idle.
    他是个勤谨人，整天闲不住。
17. When you are used to physical labour, you feel uncomfortable if you're idle.
    劳动惯了，闲着就不舒服。
18. How can one sit idle and enjoy the fruits of others 'labour?
    怎能坐享其成？
19. How much trouble in this life is caused by idle talk!
    生活中有多少麻烦不都是由清谈引起的么。
20. Don't idle away your precious time.
    别闲磨大好时光！
21. Don't let state funds lie idle.
    不要积压国家资金。
22. Those making the idle talk are all old fogies.
    说闲话的人都是些老脑筋。
23. These unenterprising people have money lying idle in a bank.
    这些没有进取精神的人把钱都闲置在银行里。
24. Don't let the machine stand idle!
    别让机器闲着！
25. All of us are busy over our work and nobody is idle.
    我们现在都正忙着，一个闲人也没有。
26. Do not idle about like this and do something useful.
    别再这样闲混下去了，做些有益的事吧！
27. None of the machines in our workshop are idle.
    我们车间里的这些机器没有一台是空闲的。

adj.

the devil makes work for idle hands

• 人闲生是非
  people who do not have enough to do often start to do wrong
  1. She blamed the crimes on the local jobless teenagers. ‘The devil makes work for idle hands,’ she would say.
     她认为那些违法行为是当地的无业青少年所为，总是说：“人一闲，惹麻烦”。

noun

1. the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
   1. the car engine was running at idle

verb

1. run disconnected or idle
   1. the engine is idling

   Synonym:    tick over

2. be idle
   1. The old man sat and stagnated on his porch
   2. He slugged in bed all morning

   Synonym:    lazeslugstagnate

adj

1. not in active use
   1. the machinery sat idle during the strike
   2. idle hands

   Synonym:    unused

2. not in action or at work
   1. an idle laborer
   2. idle drifters
   3. the idle rich
   4. an idle mind

3. not having a job
   1. idle carpenters
   2. jobless transients
   3. many people in the area were out of work

   Synonym:    joblessout of work

4. not yielding a return
   1. dead capital
   2. idle funds

   Synonym:    dead

5. lacking a sense of restraint or responsibility
   1. idle talk
   2. a loose tongue

   Synonym:    loose

6. silly or trivial
   1. idle pleasure
   2. light banter
   3. light idle chatter

   Synonym:    light

7. without a basis in reason or fact
   1. baseless gossip
   2. the allegations proved groundless
   3. idle fears
   4. unfounded suspicions
   5. unwarranted jealousy

   Synonym:    baselessgroundlessunfoundedunwarrantedwild