Sitting On The Fence - Wikipedia

"Sitting on the fence" is a common idiom used in English to describe a person's lack of decisiveness, their neutrality or hesitance to choose between two sides in an argument or a competition, or inability to decide due to lack of courage.[1] This is done either in order to remain on good terms with both sides, or due to apathy regarding the situation and not wanting to choose a position with which one does not actually agree.[2] As a result, someone who "sits on the fence" will maintain a neutral and non-committal view regarding any of the other parties involved.

Uses

In politics

Linguist John Russell Bartlett's 1848 Dictionary of Americanisms states:

In politics, to be on the fence, is to be neutral, or to be ready to join the strongest party, whenever it can be ascertained which is so. A man sitting on the top of a fence, can jump down on either side with equal facility. So with a politician who is on the fence; selfish motives govern him, and he is prepared at any moment to declare for either party.[3]: 136 

The dictionary also includes the terms fence-man, defined as "a politician who is 'on the fence'" and fence-riding, 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.'"[3]: 146 

One literary example is found in James Russell Lowell's The Biglow Papers (1848):

When every fool knows that a man represents

Not the fellows that sent him, but them on the fence,

Impartially ready to jump either side,

And make the first use of a turn of the tide.[3]: 146 

See also

• Ambivalence
• Cold feet

References

1. ^ Hirsch, Eric Donald; Kett, Joseph F.; Trefil, James S. (2002). The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 78. ISBN 0618226478. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
2. ^ "sit on the fence". Retrieved June 20, 2012.
3. ^ a b c Bartlett, John Russell (1848). Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases, Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States. Bartlett and Welford. ISBN 978-1-4047-0500-5. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)