pass the time

pass the time idiom
  1. Occupy oneself for an interval, as in The plane was six hours late but I passed the time reading a book.
  2. pass the time of day. Exchange greetings, engage in pleasantries, chat, as in Whenever I met her we would stop to pass the time of day. [First half of 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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