Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Idler |
IdlerNoun1. Person who does no work. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "idler" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1677. (references) |
| Domain | Definitions |
Mechanical Engineering | An intermediate gear in which the teeth are in mesh on one side with the driving gear and on the other side with the driven gear. An idler has no influence on the speed ratio. Source: European Union. (references) |
Transportation | Railroads use a system of letters and numbers to classify the types of diesel locomotives by the number of driving axles and idler axles they have. The number 1 stands for one idler(nonpowered)axle(BTM). Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: IdlerSynonyms: bum (n), do-nothing (n), layabout (n), loafer (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Inactivity | Idler, drone, droil, dawdle, mopus; do-little faineant, dummy, sleeping partner; afternoon farmer; truant; (runaway) : bummer, loafer, goldbrick, goldbicker, lounger, lazzarone; lubber, lubbard; slow coach; (slow.); opium eater, lotus eater; slug; lag, sluggard, slugabed; slumberer, dormouse, marmot; waiter on Providence, fruges consumere natus. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Idler |
| English words defined with "idler": Bencher ♦ couch potato ♦ Dorr ♦ Guide pulley ♦ idler pulley ♦ Micher. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "idler": BAND-SCROLL-SAW OPERATOR, belt tensioning idler pulley, bend pulley, blanker-press operator ♦ carrying axle, carrying idler, chain takeup ♦ fixed-flexible-type carrying idler, flat belt idler, flat idler, flexible-type carrying idler, flipping turn ♦ guide idler ♦ HYDRAULIC-JACK ADJUSTER ♦ idler axle, idler disk, idler gear, intermediate gear ♦ PLATEN-PRESS OPERATOR, precision idler bearing, PULLEY MAINTAINER ♦ scroll-saw operator, self-aligning carrying idler, self-aligning return idler, set of spindles, snub pulley ♦ tail pulley, tail-rope haulage, takeup pulley, tilting idlers, tilting-head band-sawyer, track idler, troughing idler, troughing rolls, two-plane idler ♦ vertical guide idler ♦ wire-rope support. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "idler": Gaber-lunzie. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Idler (1914) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | To fatigue, idler! no more rest. |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | Of course he did! A born idler! I can see it in the corner of his eye. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Idler" is generally used as a noun (proper) -- approximately 37.50% of the time. "Idler" is used about 8 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (proper) | 37.5% | 3 | 202,518 |
| Noun (singular) | 37.5% | 3 | 202,518 |
| Adjective (comparative) | 25% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 8 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "idler" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Idler | Last name | 130 | 56,573 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
Expressions using "idler": belt tensioning idler pulley ♦ idler axle ♦ idler gear ♦ idler pulley ♦ idler wheel ♦ track idler. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
idler | 55 |
idler arm | 28 |
idler pulley | 26 |
idler instant | 17 |
aim idler | 16 |
idler roller | 12 |
conveyor idler | 7 |
idler sprocket | 6 |
idler roll | 5 |
idler wheels | 5 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "idler"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | Rrotë Që Lëviz Bosh, Përtac (dangler, dawdler, do nothing, do-naught, faineant, good for nothing, idle, indolent, lazy, moocher, ne'er do well, otiose, poke, slacker, slothful, sluggard, snail, sundowner, swabber, truant, twiddler), Mekanizëm I Nxjerrjes Në Regjim Pune Pa Ngarkesë, Dembel (dangler, dawdler, do nothing, do-naught, drone, faineant, floppy, idle, lazy, lazybones, lazy-boots, lotus eater, slacker, sluggard, work-shy). (various references) | |
Arabic | متسكع (gadabout, gadder, loafer, loiterer, lounger, rambler, wanderer), المهمل (cast offs, delinquent), المتكاسل (slacker), المتراخي, الوسيطة. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | Лекомислен човек, Лентяй, Ленивец, Безделник. (various references) | |
Chinese | 闲人. (various references) | |
Czech | Lenoch (backrest, lazybones, lazy-bones, sluggard), Flákaè (drifter, lollard, slacker, slob, spiv). (various references) | |
Danish | strammerulle, skifteglider, mellemhjul (idler gear, intermediate, intermediate gear, reverse gear, tumbler gear, tumbling gear), loebeaksel (carrying axle, idler axle). (various references) | |
Dutch | tussengeschakeld tandwiel (idler gear), spanrol (belt tensioning idler pulley, belt tightener, carrier roller, dancer roll, free roller, jockey pulley, jockey wheel, loose pulley, loose roller, tension roller, tensioning roller, top roller, track idler, track supporting roller), schuifkraag, schuifbus, niet-gedreven rol (loose roller), losse rol (loose roller), loopas (carrying axle, idler axle), draagas (axletree, carrying axle, conventional axle, idler axle). (various references) | |
Farsi | چرخ دلاله , ادم بیکاروتنبل , بیکاره (Vagabond). (various references) | |
Finnish | välipyörä (idler gear, intermediate, intermediate gear, reverse gear, tumbler gear, tumbling gear), välihammaspyörä (idler gear, intermediate, intermediate gear, reverse gear, tumbler gear, tumbling gear), parasiittipyörä (idler gear). (various references) | |
French | poulie de tension, essieu portant (idler axle), essieu porteur (idler axle), Fainéant (idle), Flemmard, parasite (idler gear), baladeur, porteur (idler axle), rouleau tendeur, Poulie Folle, Ralentisseur, Roue Folle, roue parasite (idler gear), rouleau de tension, rouleau fou, Paresseux (idle). (various references) | |
German | Zwischenrad (idler gear, intermediate, intermediate gear, reverse gear, tumbler gear, tumbling gear), Spannrolle (idle pulley, jockey pulley, jockey wheel, loose pulley, tensioning roller), Müßiggänger (bummer, bummers, dallier, dalliers, loafer), Faulenzer (bums, layabout, lazybones, loiterer, lounger, sluggard, sluggards). (various references) | |
Greek | χασομέρησ (dawdler, loafer), φέρων άξονας (carrying axle, idler axle), ενδιάμεσος τροχός, άεργος οδοντοτροχός (idler gear), Τεμπέλησ, αργός οδοντοτροχός (idler gear), τροχαλία τάσης, Αργόσ Τροχόσ. (various references) | |
Hebrew | ִולך ֱטל, װ"קן, װר"ך, ׂובר ֱטל. (various references) | |
Hungarian | Tétlen (be inactive, idle, inactive, indolent, inert, inoperative, leisured, passive, quiescent, sluggish, torpid, unemployed, vacuous), Semmittevõ (do nothing), Lustálkodó. (various references) | |
Indonesian | pemalas (loon, sluggard). (various references) | |
Italian | ingranaggio folle (idler gear), Vagabondo (gadabout, hobo, loafer, rambler, rolling stone, rover, scouring, tramp, vagabond, vagrant, wanderer, wandering), Sfaccendato (idle, lazy, trifler), Scansafatiche (hedger, loafer, shirker, slacker), sala portante (carrying axle, idler axle), ruota dentata scorrevole, ruota dentata folle, puleggia di tensione, Poltrone (lazybones, lie-abed, loiterer, lounger, sluggard), Pigro (idle, lazy, rottenly, slack, slothful, sluggard, sluggish, truant), Perdigiorno (trifler, wastrel), Ozioso (idle, inactive, layabout, lazy, otiose), Fannullone (drone, lounger, slacker), asse portante (carrying axle, idler axle). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 遊民 (the unemployed), 坐食の' (drone). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ざしょくのと (drone), ゆうみ" (the unemployed). (various references) | |
Korean | 게으름쟁이. (various references) | |
Manx | ullag hreoragh (idle pulley), taauanagh, queeyl chocianglee, litcher (drone, latecomer, lazybones, sluggard), lhiasteyr (layabout). (various references) | |
Norwegian | dagdriver (loafer). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | idleray.(various references) | |
Portuguese | Indolência (apathy, heaviness, idling, indolence, kaif, Kef, keif, kief, laziness, lazy, sloth), Indivíduo Preguiçoso (interline, slouch, slug), roldana de tensão, roda parasita (idler gear, reverse gear, tumbler gear, tumbling gear), Polia De Tensão, Pessoa Ociosa, eixo livre (carrying axle, idler axle). (various references) | |
Romanian | Roatã Intermediarã, Roatã Dinţatã Intermediarã (idler wheel), Pierde-varã (dangler, do nothing, fribble, gadabout, loafer, loiterer, lounger, ne'er do well, slacker, waster), Leneş (bum, dull, easeful, easy going, idle, idly, lazily, lazy, lazybones, loafer, loiterer, otiose, shiftless, slothful, sluggard, sluggish, torpid, truant, vacant), Burtã-verde. (various references) | |
Russian | Паразит, Лентяй, Леникс, Бездельник. (various references) | |
Scottish | lunndair (a sluggard, indolent person, lazy, sluggard). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | mangup (hooligan, lout, reveler, rowdy, teddy boy), gotovan (parasite, sucker), dokoličar, besposličar (faineant, loafer, twiddler). (various references) | |
Spanish | Ocioso (at leisure, dawdler, idle, inactive, leisured, leisurely, unoccupied, useless). (various references) | |
Swedish | Lätting (drone, lazybones, lounger), Dagdrivare (carpet knight, dangler, dawdler, deadbeat, layabout, loafer, loiterer, lounger). (various references) | |
Thai | คนเกียจคร้าน (bum). (various references) | |
Turkish | Tembel (asleep, bonelazy, do nothing, do-little, drone, gold brick, idle, idle fellow, inactive, indolent, inert, laggard, languid, languorous, lazy, lazy person, lazybones, loon, lounger, slack, slacker, slothful, slouch, slug, sluggard, sluggish, stagnant, tired, torpid, workshy), Kaldırım Mühendisi (side walk superintendent, sidewalk superintendent), Aylak (bum, bummer, dawdler, idle, layabout, loafer, loiterer, otiose, runabout, unemployed, vagabond, vagrant), Ara Çarkı, Ýşsiz. (various references) | |
Ukranian | Нероба (Bumble), Холостий Шків, Ледар (Daw). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | người ăn không ng"i r"i. (various references) | |
Welsh | segurwr, oferwr (waster), diogyn (lazy one, sluggard). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "idler": idlers. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "idler": bridler, sidler. (additional references) | |
Words containing "idler": bridlers, sidlers. (additional references) | |
| |
"Idler" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: ardler, didler, dilert, dilger, Diller, dler, edler, iclr, idder, ideer, idel, idlar, idlek, idley, idli, idlker, idole, idyla, idyle, ilda, ilde, ilr, irdle, itler, odlar, ridler, Rindler, Vidler. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "idler" (pronounced ī"duler) |
| 5 | ī" d u l er | Sidler. |
| 4 | -d u l er | Candler, fiddler, Girdler, hurdler, kindler, needler, saddler, Spindler, swindler. |
| 3 | -u l er | abler, alveolar, angular, annular, avuncular, bachelor, binocular, Buckler, cardiovascular, cellular, chancellor, circular, consular, councilor, counsellor, counselor, curricular, dangler, dissimilar, embezzler, enabler, equiangular, extracurricular, gastrovascular, glandular, globular, gobbler, granular, hackler, humbler, hustler, insular, intercellular, intermolecular, irregular, jeweler, jocular, juggler, jugular, kittler, Littler, modular, molecular, muscular, nestler, nodular, particular, peninsular, perpendicular, popular, rattler, rectangular, regular, reveler, secular, semicircular, settler, shuffler, similar, simpler, singular, spectacular, Stabler, stapler, stickler, subtler, testicular, tingler, Tinkler, titular, traveler, traveller, triangular, tubular, unicellular, unpopular, unspectacular, vascular, vehicular, vernacular, wrangler, wrestler. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: riled. | |
| Words within the letters "d-e-i-l-r" | |
-1 letter: deil, deli, diel, dire, dirl, idle, ired, lied, lier, lire, ride, riel, rile. | |
-2 letters: del, die, eld, ire, led, lei, lid, lie, red, rei, rid. | |
-3 letters: de, ed, el, er, id, li, re. | |
| Words containing the letters "d-e-i-l-r" | |
+1 letter: ariled, birled, bridle, clerid, derail, dialer, direly, dirled, dreidl, drivel, gilder, girdle, glider, idlers, laired, lieder, milder, railed, redial, regild, relaid, relied, riddle, ridgel, ridley, rifled, rilled, roiled, sidler, slider, tirled, wilder. | |
+2 letters: bedrail, blinder, brailed, bridled, bridler, bridles, brindle, broiled, builder, circled, clerids, dallier, dariole, decrial, defiler, deliria, deliver, derails, devilry, dialers, dialler, dibbler, diddler, dilater, diluter, direful, dreidel, dreidls, dribble, driblet, drilled, driller, drivels, drizzle, eldrich, fiddler, fielder, flinder, flirted, frilled, gilders, girdled, girdler, girdles, gladier, glaired, gliders, gloried, godlier, griddle, grilled, guilder, hirpled, hirsled, kindler, kirtled, lardier, leadier, ledgier, leporid, middler, moldier, periled, piddler, predial, prilled, radiale, radicel, radicle, rallied, readily, rebuild, redials, redline, redrill, redtail, reedily, refiled, regilds, relined, relived, reoiled, replied, resiled, retiled, reviled, ridable, riddled, riddler, riddles, ridgels, ridleys, riffled, rimpled, rippled, rivaled, rodlike, sidlers, skirled, sliders, soldier, solider, swirled, tendril, thirled, tiddler, tiredly, trailed, trifled, trilled, trindle, tripled, twirled, uredial, weirdly, wergild, whirled, wielder, wilders, yielder. | |
+3 letters: airfield, arillode, articled, auricled, bedrails, bedrivel, begirdle, belfried, bellbird, bewilder, bilander, birdlike, birdlime, blinders, bloodier, bluebird, brailled, bridlers, brindled, brindles, bristled, brittled, builders, calibred, children, chloride, cloddier, cloudier, collider, cordlike, coverlid, credible, credibly, cribbled, crimpled, crinkled, crippled, cuddlier, cylinder, dalliers, darioles, darklier, deadlier, decliner, decrials, deerlike, defilers, delirium, delivers, delivery, deprival, derailed, derelict, desilver, detailer, detrital, deviltry, diablery, diallers, dialoger, dialyser, dialyzer, dibblers, diddlers, dieldrin, dihedral, dilaters, diluters, dimplier, diplexer, dipteral, directly, dirgeful, disliker, dismaler, divulger, dolerite, dragline, drawlier, dreamily, drearily, dreidels, dressily, dribbled, dribbler, dribbles, dribblet, driblets, drillers, dripless, drivable, driveled, driveler, drizzled, drizzles, drumlier, drumlike, dulcimer, elaterid, eldritch, elytroid, engirdle, epidural, erodible, evildoer, exordial, fairlead, fervidly, fiddlers, fielders, filtered, fledgier, flinders, fluoride, flurried, fribbled, friendly, frivoled, frizzled, girdlers, gladlier, goodlier, greedily, griddled, griddles, grillade, grizzled, guilders, hardline, heraldic, herdlike, hirseled, idolater, idoliser, idolizer, implored, indulger, infolder, inlander, islander, killdeer, kindlers, kindlier, lacertid, lardiest, lardlike, lariated, leisured, lemuroid, leporids, librated, limbered, linebred, lingered, lippered, liquored, littered, liveried, loitered, lordlier, lordlike, loudlier, lovebird, lowrider, lyrebird, middlers, misruled, mouldier, overgild, overidle, overlaid, overmild, parslied, pedalier, peridial, perilled, philtred, piddlers, pilfered, pillared, praedial, predrill, prefiled, prickled, prideful, profiled, puddlier, radiable, radicels, radicles, railhead, realised, realized, rebilled, reboiled, rebuilds, reclined, recoiled, reddling, redialed, redlined, redlines, redrills, redtails, reedlike, reedling, refilled, refilmed, regilded, rekindle, relieved, relinked, relished, relisted, remailed, remedial, renailed, rendible, resailed, residual, retailed, retitled, riddlers, rideable, ridicule, rivalled, salaried, sclereid, scleroid, shielder, shrilled, sidereal, silvered, slivered, sludgier, slurried, soldiers, soldiery, spindler, spiraled, stolider, studlier, swindler, tailored, tendrils, thrilled, tiddlers, tillered, trendily, trickled, trilobed, trindled, trindles, tripedal, trollied, twiddler, unbridle, underlie, underlip, underlit, unriddle, unrifled, variedly, weregild, wergilds, wielders, wieldier, wildered, wildfire, wriggled, wrinkled, yielders. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)49 64 6C 65 72 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references).. -.. .-.. . .-. |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01001001 01100100 01101100 01100101 01110010 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)I d l e r |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0049 0064 006C 0065 0072 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)4370787184 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Quotations: Fiction 7. Usage Frequency 8. Names: Frequency | 9. Expressions 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Derivations | 13. Rhymes 14. Anagrams 15. Orthography 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
