Type of chatter

The answer

IDLE

4 letters. See every clue for this answer on the IDLE answer page.

Used 10 times across 7 distinct years; most recently in 2007; first recorded in 1995. It appears in 3 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.

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
• Gathering dust - used 23 times, most recently in 2014
• 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
• Groundless - used 21 times, most recently in 2013
• Like some chatter - used 21 times, most recently in 2025
• Just sitting there - used 19 times, most recently in 2026
• Like a couch potato - used 18 times, most recently in 2026
• Empty. - used 17 times, most recently in 2011
• Out of action - used 17 times, most recently in 2020
• Vegging out - used 17 times, most recently in 2019
• Between assignments - used 16 times, most recently in 2014
• Like some rumors - used 16 times, most recently in 2018
• Unproductive - used 16 times, most recently in 2025
• Do nothing - used 15 times, most recently in 2025
• Not in operation - used 15 times, most recently in 2022
• Sit in traffic - used 15 times, most recently in 2026
• At leisure - used 14 times, most recently in 2025
• Frivolous - used 14 times, most recently in 2024
• Loafing around - used 14 times, most recently in 2026
• Sitting around - used 14 times, most recently in 2026
• Just lying around - used 13 times, most recently in 2022
• Not occupied - used 13 times, most recently in 2025
• Sitting on one's hands - used 13 times, most recently in 2015
• Between gigs - used 12 times, most recently in 2013
• Lay off - used 12 times, most recently in 2025
• Thumb-twiddling - used 12 times, most recently in 2020
• Unfounded. - used 12 times, most recently in 2015
• Useless - used 12 times, most recently in 2013
• At a standstill - used 11 times, most recently in 2023
• Just hanging out - used 11 times, most recently in 2021
• Slothful - used 11 times, most recently in 2026
• Trifling. - used 11 times, most recently in 2007
• At liberty - used 10 times, most recently in 2003
• Between engagements - used 10 times, most recently in 2012
• Indolent - used 10 times, most recently in 2020
• Lazy - used 10 times, most recently in 2013
• Not doing much of anything - used 10 times, most recently in 2025
• Not going anywhere - used 10 times, most recently in 2026
• "Spamalot" co-creator Eric - used 10 times, most recently in 2026
• Just chillin' - used 9 times, most recently in 2026
• Killing time - used 9 times, most recently in 2024
• Otiose - used 9 times, most recently in 1991
• Run, but go nowhere - used 9 times, most recently in 2017
• Futile - used 8 times, most recently in 1997
• In couch-potato mode - used 8 times, most recently in 2025
• Monty Python's Eric - used 8 times, most recently in 2024
• Not moving - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
• Unbusy - used 8 times, most recently in 2023
• Going nowhere - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Hanging around - used 7 times, most recently in 2025
• Just sitting - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Loaf - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Nonworking - used 7 times, most recently in 2009
• Not playing - used 7 times, most recently in 2011
• Sit at a light - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Wait at the light - used 7 times, most recently in 2016
• Wait for the green - used 7 times, most recently in 2013
• Without work - used 7 times, most recently in 2014
• Dilly-dallying - used 6 times, most recently in 2012
• Dillydally - used 6 times, most recently in 2026
• Empty, as a threat - used 6 times, most recently in 2022
• Groundless, as rumors - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• "___ hands are the devil's tools" - used 6 times, most recently in 2020
• In neutral - used 6 times, most recently in 2021
• Kind of talk - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• Like loafers - used 6 times, most recently in 2022
• Like some hands - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• Not being used - used 6 times, most recently in 2025
• Not up to anything - used 6 times, most recently in 2025
• On the shelf - used 6 times, most recently in 2010
• Run a car in neutral - used 6 times, most recently in 2014
• Shiftless - used 6 times, most recently in 2015
• Unfounded, as gossip - used 6 times, most recently in 2010
• Wait for the green light - used 6 times, most recently in 2014
• Waste time - used 6 times, most recently in 2023

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.

• Tide type - NEAP, used 272 times
• Terrier type - SKYE, used 107 times
• Type of tide - NEAP, used 81 times
• Carpet type - SHAG, used 75 times
• Type - SORT, used 75 times
• Tomato type - ROMA, used 71 times

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