In describing a person or machine, idle means the act of doing nothing or no work (for example: "John Smith is an idle person"). This is a person who spends his days doing nothing of relative importance could be said to be "idly passing his days." A computer processor or communication circuit is described as idle when it is not being used by any
programComputer programs are instructions for a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute the instructions...
, application or message. See
available lineIn voice, video, or data communications, the term available line is a circuit between two points that is ready for service, but is in the idle state...
. Similarly, an
engineAn engine is a machine that produces mechanical force and motion from another form of energy . It is also referred to as a prime mover. An automobile makes use of several motors to start the car and drive the car's various pumps – but the power plant that propels the car is called an engine...
of an
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
may be described as idle when it is running only to sustain its running (not doing any useful
workIn thermodynamics, work performed by a system is the quantity of energy transferred by the system to another due to changes in the external parameters of the system. If these changes happen in a reversible way, then the performed work does not lead to a change of the entropy. It is a...
), this is also called tickover (See
idle speedIdle speed is the minimum operating speed of a combustion engine. At idle speed, the engine generates enough power to run reasonably smoothly and operate its ancillaries , but usually not enough to perform useful work, such as moving...
).
Typically, when one describes a machine as idle, it is an objective statement regarding its current state.
Uses
In describing a person or machine, idle means the act of doing nothing or no work (for example: "John Smith is an idle person"). This is a person who spends his days doing nothing of relative importance could be said to be "idly passing his days." A computer processor or communication circuit is described as idle when it is not being used by any
programComputer programs are instructions for a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute the instructions...
, application or message. See
available lineIn voice, video, or data communications, the term available line is a circuit between two points that is ready for service, but is in the idle state...
. Similarly, an
engineAn engine is a machine that produces mechanical force and motion from another form of energy . It is also referred to as a prime mover. An automobile makes use of several motors to start the car and drive the car's various pumps – but the power plant that propels the car is called an engine...
of an
automobileAn automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
may be described as idle when it is running only to sustain its running (not doing any useful
workIn thermodynamics, work performed by a system is the quantity of energy transferred by the system to another due to changes in the external parameters of the system. If these changes happen in a reversible way, then the performed work does not lead to a change of the entropy. It is a...
), this is also called tickover (See
idle speedIdle speed is the minimum operating speed of a combustion engine. At idle speed, the engine generates enough power to run reasonably smoothly and operate its ancillaries , but usually not enough to perform useful work, such as moving...
).
Idleness as dependent upon cultural norms
Typically, when one describes a machine as idle, it is an objective statement regarding its current state. However, when used to describe a person, idle typically carries a negative
connotationConnotationsubjective cultural and/or emotional coloration in addition to the explicit or denotative meaning of any specific word or phrase in alanguage, i.e. emotional association with a word.-Usage:...
, with the assumption that the person is wasting their time by doing nothing of value. Such a view is reflected in the
proverbA proverb , also called a byword or nayword, is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
"an idle mind is the devil's workshop". Also, the popular phrase "killing time" refers to idleness and can be defined as spending time doing nothing in particular in order that time seems to pass more quickly. These interpretations of idleness are not universal - they are more typically associated with Western cultures.
Books on Idleness
The state of being idle is sometimes even celebrated with a few books on the subject of Idleness.
How to Be Idle by
Tom HodgkinsonTom Hodgkinson is a British writer and the editor of The Idler, which he established in 1993 with his friend Gavin Pretor-Pinney. He was educated at Westminster School...
is one such example from an author who is also known for his
magazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
- "
The IdlerThe Idler is a bi-yearly British magazine devoted to promoting its ethos of 'idle living' and all that entails. It was founded in 1993 by Tom Hodgkinson and Gavin Pretor-Pinney with the intention of exploring alternative ways of working and living....
", devoted to promoting its ethos of "idle living". Nobel Laureate
Bertrand RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was an English philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. Although he spent the majority of his life in England, he was born in Wales, where he also died.Russell led the British "revolt against idealism" in the...
's
In Praise of Idleness; And other essays http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html is another book that explores the virtues of being idle in the modern society.
Mitchell Stevens has published a small mini-series magazine entitled "How idle are you?" which goes over basic idle concepts. (Source: North Shore Times Advertiser)
Mark Slouka published his essay, "Quitting the Paint Factory: The Virtues of Idleness"
http://adamantine.wordpress.com/stuff/quitting-the-paint-factory-by-mark-slouka/ in the November 2004
Harper's MagazineHarper's Magazine is a monthly, general-interest magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. It is the second-oldest, continuously-published monthly magazine in the U.S.; current circulation is more than 220,000 issues...
, hinting at a post-scarcity economy, and linking conscious busy-ness with antidemocratic and fascist tendencies.