Once you get the hang of this oft-misused phrase, you’ll breathe easier.hold your breath First appeared in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in 1605. Using the abbreviated form of abated, meaning « to stop or reduce, » the phrase refers to people holding their breath in excitement or fear while waiting to see what happens next.

Where did the term baited breath come from?

Bated Breath is a phrase that means to hold your breath due to suspense, fear, or fear.hold your breath is a phrase First appeared in Shakespeare’s « The Merchant of Venice ».

What does it mean to hold your breath and wait?

phrase [usu PHR after v] If you’re holding your breath waiting for something, you’re anxiously waiting to find out what’s going to happen. [formal] We held our breath as we listened to grandma’s travel stories.

Who said that out of breath?

The word « hold your breath » seems to have been William Shakespeare Made his debut in 1596 in his play The Merchant of Venice. « Should I bow my head, be in the slave’s key, hold my breath, and whisper. »

Was it baited or beaten?

Baited is the past tense of the verb bait, meaning to tease, harass, or put food (or bait) into a trap. Hooks, witnesses, or animals are lured (lure, lure, lure). Bated is the shortened form of the verb abate in the past tense, meaning to reduce or limit. Breathing eased.

Have you ever « waited for breath with bait »?where does this strange phrase come from

25 related questions found

How do you spell bated like bated breath?

« Bud » is a form of the word « abate, » which means « to reduce, knock down, or reduce, » and it’s spelled BATED. So when you hold your breath and wait (you can think of it as holding your breath), you So anxious, anxious, excited, or scared that you almost hold your breath.

Are you waiting with bated breath?

Eagerly or anxiously, like we hold our breath waiting for the winner to be announced. This expression literally means « hold your breath” (bate means “restraint”). Today it is also used sarcastically to show that a person is less eager or anxious. [Late 1500s] See also hold your breath, def.

What does batted mean?

transitive verb. 1: decrease in strength or intensity of : refrain from holding your breath and wait.

What does the idiom Dickens mean?

What (in) Dickens.exclamation mark Used to emphasize surprise, shock, or confusion.

How do you use breath holding in a sentence?

Example of holding your breath

The general public can only hold their breath to see what happens to Jamie Lynn’s career. People waited with bated breath to hear Rihanna’s story as she’s been tight-lipped since incident It left her bruised all over.

What does in a pickle mean?

But you know what it means: In trouble. English idioms are interesting things pulled from a long historical hodgepodge, and « in a pickle » is one of the more obscure ones.

What does bell waiting mean?

I or we »will be there with the bell” It is advisable to go somewhere with enthusiasm, or arrive in a striking or festive way.

What does it mean to panic in America?

1: Uncertain excitement, nervousness or fear : Fear of starting a new job.

Is bated a Scrabble word?

Yesbated in the Scrabble dictionary.

Did Shakespeare say what Dickens said?

Shakespeare used « what the dickens » in « The Merry Wife of Windsor » in 1600: I don’t know what his name is. Dickens was given to him by my husband.

What was Charles Dickens’ real name?

Charles Dickens, complete Charles John Huffam Dickens(born 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, 9 June 1870 at Ged Hill, near Chatham, Kent), English novelist, often regarded as the greatest of the Victorian era ‘s writer.

What does old Nick mean?

English Learners’ Definition of Old Nick

-used as the devil’s name.

What is hold your breath?

: In a state of tension and excitement, looking forward to what will happen they are waiting for an answer to the application Hold your breath.

What does batted mean in Old English?

Meaning of to bate block or restrict, you might see it in old or old-sounding languages. Relatives of bate appear in the phrase « with bated Breath, » which describes what you do while you wait anxiously.

Is bart a word?

Do not, bart not in scrabble dictionary.

What does expecting mean?

: expect that (something will happen or someone will arrive) They hired extra police in case there is a big crowd at the concert.

Is fear an emotion?

Some common synonyms for fear are alarm, fear, fear, fear, panic and fear. While all of these words mean « painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger, » fear adds to the meaning of timidity, tremors, and hesitation.

What is the difference between panic and fear?

As a noun, the difference between worry and fear

that’s it apprehension is a (rare) take hold]]or[[takehold|takehold[[takehold|takingholdof[[抓住|抓住[[takehold|takingholdof; Seizure is a frightening state when panicking; a state of hesitation or worry.

Why do they say there is a bell?

This phrase is often used in response to party invitations, in this case a common format is Show one’s enthusiasm with « I’ll be there with the bell! » . The phrase originated in the late 19th/early 20th century, and most early citations indicate that it originated in the United States.