idle worms
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
It was once supposed that little worms were bred in the fingers of idle servants.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “idle worms” mean?
It was once supposed that little worms were bred in the fingers of idle servants.
Is “idle worms” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.