hovering chopsticks indecisively over dishes
A specific Japanese dining etiquette breach: moving one's chopsticks back and forth over shared dishes while deciding what to take. Also called 迷い箸.
See also: 迷い箸
惑い箸は食事のマナーとして避けるべきだ。
You should avoid hovering your chopsticks indecisively as a dining manner.
Standard kanji spelling for this etiquette term.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling sometimes seen.
Compound of 惑い (madōi, 'hesitation, indecision') + 箸 (hashi, 'chopsticks'). The reading まどいばし is a standard rendaku form.