Lazy idioms and expressions
1 – Lazy as a toad
Meaning: A very lazy person who sits for hours.
Example: The man on the corner was as lazy as a toad and would sit for hours doing nothing.
2 – Take the lazy way
Meaning: Taking a short or easy way.
Example: His work is usually wrong because he takes the lazy way and doesn’t do it properly or completely.
3 – Lay about
Meaning: To be inactive and generally just lay around.
Example: His house was so messy because he would just lay about and not clean anything.
4 – Lazy load
Meaning: The ability to avoid doing any work.
Example: His work was never good because he was such a lazy toad.
5 – Lazy fever
Meaning: Being in a state of extreme laziness.
Example: When it is really hot, I get lazy fever and just want to lie by the pool.
6 – Lazy piece of furniture
Meaning: A person who does not want to do any work and does nothing, just like a piece of furniture in a room.
Example: Would you get up and help us? Stop being such a lazy piece of furniture.
7 – Lazy bones
Meaning: A very lazy person.
Example: Get up and do something, you bunch of lazy bones!
8 – Lazy Susan
Meaning: A tray in the middle of a table that spins around so that people can reach everything easily.
Example: That chicken over there looks great, let me rotate the lazy Susan so I don’t have to get up to get it.
9 – Lazy days
Meaning: This expression about laziness refers to periods of inactivity and relaxation.
Example: I love those long, lazy days of summer holidays.
10- Lazy answer
Meaning: This is an answer that somebody gives without thinking much about the subject.
Example: He was usually wrong in class because he only gave lazy answers that were usually wrong.
11- Lazy eye
Meaning: An eye condition where the brain favors one eye over the other. One of the eyes does not align properly, and this reduces vision.
Example: The model was still very beautiful even with her lazy eye that always looked away.
12- Slack off
Meaning: To be lazy or not work hard.
Example: Jerry will never get anywhere in life because he always slacks off and never works hard enough.
13- Lazy River
Meaning: A slow-moving river or stream found at amusement parks and resorts that tourists can leisurely float down.
Example: Today is a great day to go to the waterslide park, get some inner tubes, and go floating down the lazy river.
14- Lazy writing
Meaning: Poor quality writing that has not been researched properly or in which the writer didn’t try very hard to do a good job.
Example: His book was full of lazy writing and was terrible to read.
15- Lazy light
Meaning: Dim, barely perceptible light.
Example: The room was barely lit, and we couldn’t see much because of the lazy light.
16- A slug
Meaning: Another term for a lazy person.
Example: Man, Jerry refuses to get up and do anything to help, he’s just a lazy slug.
17- Get off your tail
Meaning: To vocally encourage someone to stop being lazy and take action.
Example: Hey buddy, stop lying around and get up off your tail and do something.
18-Bum around
Meaning: To be idle or to lack the initiative to do anything.
Example: Today I have no energy, so I think I will just bum around the beach and relax.
19- To sit on your hands
Meaning: If you sit on your hands, you don’t do anything to help, participate, and are generally lazy in a situation. Another way to say this is “To sit idly by”.
Example: She really needed his help in the garden, but he just sat on his hands and stayed inside.
20- A duvet day
Meaning: A day off work for a person who needs some rest. Duvet days are sometimes given by some employers in the US and UK to help employees be more efficient. A duvet is a large, soft blanket or quilt in a bed, so the term refers to staying in bed and not getting up.
Example: She worked three 14-hour days in a row at the office and needed a duvet day to recover.
21- Work-brittle
Meaning: In the Midland states of the USA, especially Indiana, this term means laziness.
Example: He was so lazy and moved around so slowly, you think he was made of glass because he was work-brittle and never moved.
22- Sozzle
Meaning: Another New England term for laziness and doing nothing.
Example: Scott was so lazy that the entire town would only call him Sozzle.
23- Lazy hours
Meaning: Time spent doing nothing for hours on end.
Example: We loved going to the pool and spending many lazy hours just sitting around or floating in the water.
24- Lazy thinker
Meaning: When a person avoids deep or interesting thoughts.
Example: I couldn’t talk to John anymore as he was such a lazy thinker and had nothing to add to the conversation.
25- As lazy as a bear
Meaning: This animal simile is used to describe lazy people or someone just being lazy. This is possibly in reference to bears hibernating during the winter.
Example: I worked so hard this week and am worn out. I feel as lazy as a bear right now and am just going to do nothing this weekend.
26- A lazy man’s load
Meaning: This refers to carrying or transporting a large number of things in one trip instead of moving them in 2 or more, which would be a more sensible option.
Example: Don’t carry everything in a lazy man’s load to the new place, things might get broken. It is better to do it in two trips.
27- To drag your feet
Meaning: To go about something in a lazy or slow way because you dislike it. It an also mean to delay doing something that you don’t want to do.
28- Bone loafer
Meaning: A term for laziness commonly used in the Ozarks.
Example: In the TV show about the Ozarks, they had a guy who was so lazy that everyone called him the bone loafer.
29- Lazy money
Meaning: Money that is sitting and not earning interest or profit.
Example: Putting everything into a savings account is not the best idea because that lazy money won’t accrue much interest at all.
30- Lazy comfort
Meaning: This means to be comfortable without any effort.
Example: My neighbors have a nice pool, so on their days off, they just enjoy some lazy comfort in the water.
31- Lazy talk
Meaning: This expression about laziness means to talk without any energy or much expression.
Example: The speaker today was so boring with his lazy talk, monotone voice.
32- A sloth
Meaning: The slow-moving sloth has long been associated with laziness and idleness. Sloth is also one of the seven deadly Catholic sins in which has if often has the same meaning.
Example: You really need to stop being such a sloth and get back to work if you want to succeed in life.
33- The Big lazies
Meaning: An expression about laziness used in Alabama to say that you are lazy or have no motivation.
Example: Wow, it is so hot, and I have no energy today. I feel like I have a case of the big lazies.
34- Lawrence
Meaning: Another great term for laziness, courtesy of the Ozark Mountains in the USA.
Example: Jerry’s boss had finally had enough of his laziness and yelled at him, “Stop being such a Lawrence, and get to work”!
35- Lazy wind
Meaning: When the air is very still with no breeze or wind.
Example: We tried to go sailing but had to use the motor to get back to shore due to the Lazy wind.
36- Deadbeat
Meaning: Someone who avoids any kind of work or even responsibilities
Example: That Jerry is such a deadbeat and refuses to get up and help around the house.
37- Molowa
Meaning: A Hawaiian term for someone who often pretends to be sick to get out of responsibilities or school.
Example: The Hawaiian kid was always such a Molowa and always pretended to be sick so he didn’t have to work.
38- A couch potato
Meaning: This is one of the most common lazy idioms and is used to describe a person who likes to lay around on a couch or sofa and watch television. The term veg out is also used to describe the action of watching TV or movies for a long period of time.
Example: It is cold and rainy outside today, I am just going to stay home and be a couch potato and veg out.
39- Lie down on the job
Meaning: To not give your best effort or to not do what you need to do.
Example: After he didn’t get the promotion he wanted, he started laying down on the job and didn’t work very hard at all.
40- Don’t Care-ish
Meaning: A southern USA term for a lazy and indifferent person.
Example: In New Orleans, I would see a lot of folks sitting around who had a don’t care-ish attitude and preferred to do nothing.
41- Slowcome
Meaning: An old, middle to northeast American term for a lazy person.
Example: I once knew a guy who was so lazy everyone nicknamed him “Slowcome Steve”.
42- Do-less
Meaning: A common term for laziness in the south Midlands.
Example: My goodness, Edward was such a Do-Less we couldn’t stand it and had to fire him.
43- Sprawlless
Meaning: This is a New England term for lack of energy or motivation.
Example: I had a friend in Cape Cod who was usually great to work with, but sometimes he was just sprawlless and had no energy to help out.
44- Let the grass grow under your feet
Meaning: To not take action or do something when you should.
Example: You need to start writing your essay now, don’t let the grass grow under your feet, and do it at the last minute!
45- Slackmaster
Meaning: A person who is particularly slack or lazy.
Example: He is such a slackmaster, he hasn’t even had a real job in over 2 years.
More lazy idioms and expressions
Here are some more words and expressions about laziness that you will find interesting and useful –
46- Slowcome-pokum
47- Bone idle
48- Slapdash
49- A Surf bum/ beach bum
50- Loafing
51- A lay about
52- To be asleep at the wheel
53- Sluggish
54- A slob
55- To pass the buck
56- Mooch around
57- Go through the motions
58- To not lift a finger
Okay, that is it for our big list of lazy idioms and expressions. Hopefully, you found some new phrases to use!
As a related activity, if you are looking to have a discussion on this topic, check out the conversation questions about laziness that come as a free PDF.
