stringing along

[ˈstrɪŋɪŋ əˈlɔːŋ]

verb (phrasal verb, gerund form)

enganar; levar na brincadeira; manter na esperança

1. To deceive or mislead someone; to keep someone hopeful about something that is unlikely to happen

He's been stringing her along for months, promising to propose but never doing it.

Ele tem a enganado há meses, prometendo casar mas nunca fazendo.

2. To accompany someone; to go along with someone

She decided to keep stringing along with the group on their road trip.

Ela decidiu continuar acompanhando o grupo na viagem de carro.

3. To delay or postpone; to procrastinate with someone

Don't string me along—just tell me yes or no.

Não me engane—apenas me diga sim ou não.

NYC Slang

playing someone; jerking someone around; running game on someone

Synonyms

Antonyms

Regional Variations

General Brazilian

enganando; levando na brincadeira

Most common usage across Brazil

Rio de Janeiro

enrolando

Colloquial term meaning to delay or deceive

São Paulo

dando um jogo de cintura

Idiomatic expression meaning to deceive or mislead

Portugal

enganar; andar com alguém

More formal usage; less common in everyday speech

string someone along

lead someone on

pull the wool over someone's eyes

keep someone in the dark

give someone the runaround

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