Buried his hand in the plate/ to sit idle/ to refuse to do something/ to keep one's hand in one's pocket
Figuratively: sat idle; did nothing.
("The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth" — Proverbs 26:15. And also: "But why has my brother buried his hand in the dish? Will he no longer write us words of beauty?" the boy added in his innocence — Abraham Mapu, Ayt Tzavu'a, 9. And also: "And apparently the owner of the feud also did not bury his hand in the dish, and made many kinds of efforts to harm them in their business" — Agnon, These and Those, and The Crooked Made Straight, 52.)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
טָמַן יָדוֹ בַּצַּלָּחַת
Definition (Hebrew)
בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: יָשַׁב בְּאֶפֶס מַעֲשֶׂה. לֹא עָשָׂה כְּלוּם.
("טָמַן עָצֵל יָדוֹ בַּצַּלָּחַת נִלְאָה לַהֲשִׁיבָהּ אֶל פִּיו"- מִשְׁלֵי כו טוּ, וְכֵן:"אַךְ מַדּוּעַ טָמַן אֲחִי יָדוֹ בַּצַּלַּחַת, לֹא יִכְתֹּב עוֹד לָנוּ אִמְרִי שֶׁפֶר? הוֹסִיף הַנַּעַר בְּתַמָּתוֹ"- אַבְרָהָם מַאפּוּ/ עַיִט צָבוּעַ, 9, וְכֵן:"וְאַף בַּעַל דִּבְבָּם מִסְּתָמָא לֹא טָמַן יָדוֹ בַּצַלַּחַת וְהִשְׁתַּדֵּל בְּכַמָּה מִינֵי הִשְׁתַּדְּלוּיוֹת לְהַזִּיק לָהֶם בְּעִסְקָם"-עַגְנוֹן/ אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ, וְהָיָה הֶעָקֹב לְמִישׁוֹר, 52)