Gathering dust
The crossword clue "Gathering dust" is answered by IDLE, a 4-letter entry. Used 23 times across 11 distinct years; most recently in 2014; first recorded in 2000. It appears in 9 publications in the xd corpus. Every figure on this page comes from the collection data itself.
The answer
IDLE
4 letters. See every clue for this answer on the IDLE answer page.
Used 23 times across 11 distinct years; most recently in 2014; first recorded in 2000. It appears in 9 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.
Other answers for this clue
The same clue has also been answered these ways in the xd corpus. Answers inside this collection link to their own answer page.
Other clues for IDLE
Every other clue in this collection answered by IDLE, most used first.
- Doing nothing - used 237 times, most recently in 2026
- Not doing anything - used 165 times, most recently in 2026
- Inactive - used 154 times, most recently in 2026
- Not working - used 138 times, most recently in 2026
- Not busy - used 132 times, most recently in 2026
- Between jobs - used 87 times, most recently in 2025
- Just sitting around - used 85 times, most recently in 2026
- Run in neutral - used 70 times, most recently in 2026
- Twiddling one's thumbs - used 63 times, most recently in 2025
- Unemployed - used 61 times, most recently in 2019
- Not active - used 50 times, most recently in 2026
- Not in use - used 50 times, most recently in 2026
- Run in place - used 42 times, most recently in 2026
- Goofing off - used 41 times, most recently in 2026
- Unoccupied - used 37 times, most recently in 2026
- At rest - used 36 times, most recently in 2025
- Not up to much - used 34 times, most recently in 2026
- Not doing much - used 32 times, most recently in 2026
- Eric of Monty Python - used 31 times, most recently in 2026
- Out of work - used 31 times, most recently in 2018
- Like some threats - used 29 times, most recently in 2025
- Pointless - used 29 times, most recently in 2026
- Run without moving - used 28 times, most recently in 2024
- Just hanging around - used 27 times, most recently in 2024
- Loafing - used 27 times, most recently in 2023
- Vain - used 24 times, most recently in 2008
- Baseless - used 22 times, most recently in 2015
- Not engaged - used 22 times, most recently in 2026
- Unused - used 22 times, most recently in 2024
Related clues
Clues in this collection of the same answer length that share a word with this clue, or match its answer pattern when no word is shared. Most used first.
- Speck of dust - MOTE, used 76 times
- Dry as dust - ARID, used 68 times
- Dust Bowl migrant - OKIE, used 55 times
- Leaf-gathering tool - RAKE, used 55 times
- Chimney dust - SOOT, used 49 times
- Bit of dust - MOTE, used 39 times
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