What is the origin of the term "hem and haw"?

Search: hem and haw origin

Why: Maybe you hem and haw quite a bit. It means:

Be hesitant and indecisive; avoid committing oneself.

Answer: It is imitative!

• Hem - an interjectional utterance used to attract attention, give warning, or express doubt or hesitation... something like AHEM. The verb to hem (to make this utterance) comes from the 15th century. It is echoic in origin, like HUM.
• Haw - an expression of hesitation from the 1600s, like HUH and UH and UMM.

Together, hem + haw = stalling while you think about it.

Source: Word Detective

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