on the fence, to be/sit

be on the fence

To be unable or unwilling to commit to a decision or a side when presented with two opposing options or possibilities. The senator has been on the fence about the issue for years. You can't be on the fence about this—you need to choose between the two, now.See also: fence, on

sit on the fence

To not make a decision or take a side when presented with two or more options or possibilities. You can't sit on the fence any longer—you need to choose who of these two we need to fire. The government has been sitting on the fence about legalizing marijuana for the past several years.See also: fence, on, sit

sit on the fence

(about something) Go to on the fence (about something).See also: fence, on, sit

sit on the fence

Fig. not to take sides in a dispute; not to make a clear choice between two possibilities. (Fig. on the image of someone straddling a fence, representing indecision.) When Jane and Tom argue, it is best to sit on the fence and not make either of them angry. No one knows which of the candidates Joan will vote for. She's sitting on the fence.See also: fence, on, sit

sit on the fence

COMMON If you sit on the fence, you refuse to give a definite opinion about something or to say who you support in an argument. Who was cooler, Starsky or Hutch? You couldn't sit on the fence and say you liked both of them equally. Note: Verbs such as stay and be can be used instead of sit. Democrats who'd been on the fence about the nomination, in the end all voted for him. Note: You can call this kind of behaviour fence-sitting, and someone who behaves like this a fence-sitter. At his first press conference there was much fence-sitting. I sense that there are a lot of fence-sitters out there on this issue. Note: These expressions are usually used to show that you disapprove of the fact that someone is not making a decision. Note: The fence referred to is one that separates two properties or territories and someone sitting on it is unable or unwilling to make a decision about which side to stand on. See also: fence, on, sit

sit on the fence

avoid making a decision or choice. The two sides of a fence are seen here as representing the two opposing or conflicting positions or interests involved in a particular debate or situation. 1995 Duncan McLean Bunker Man Let's have a proper decision—goal or no goal—none of this sitting on the fence. See also: fence, on, sit

sit on the ˈfence

avoid deciding between two sides of an argument, discussion, quarrel, etc: Either you support me or you don’t. You can’t sit on the fence all your life. ♢ Politicians cannot sit on the fence. People expect them to have clear views. OPPOSITE: take sides ▶ ˈfence-sitter noun a person who cannot or does not want to decide which side of an argument, etc. to supportSee also: fence, on, sit

on the fence, to be/sit

To be undecided or uncommitted. This term dates from the early nineteenth century and conjures up the image of a person who cannot or will not decide to which side of the fence to jump. At first the term was most frequently applied to politics—that is, which candidate or party one would support—and indeed it was even so defined in John Bartlett’s 1859 Dictionary of Americanisms: “Fenceriding: The practice of ‘sitting on the fence,’ or remaining neutral in a political contest until it can be seen ‘which way the cat is going to jump.’” Subsequently the term began to be applied to any kind of hedging.See also: on, sit