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general::
see IN THE WINGS. wait on 1. Also, wait upon. Serve, minister to, especially for personal needs or in a store or restaurant. For example, Guests at the Inn should not expect to be waited on? they can make their own beds and get their own breakfast. [Early 1500s] 2. Make a formal call on, as in They waited on the ambassador. [c. 1500] 3. Also, wait upon. Await, remain in readiness for, as in We're waiting on their decision to close the school. This usage, a synonym of wait for, dates from the late 1600s but in the mid-1800s began to be criticized by many authorities. However, by the late 1900s it had come into increasingly wider use and is again largely accepted.
American Heritage Idioms
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general::
Phrase(s): waiting in the wings
Fig. ready or prepared to do something, especially to take over someone else’s job or position. • Mr. Smith retires as manager next year, and Mr. Jones is just waiting in the wings. • Jane was waiting in the wings, hoping that a member of the hockey team would drop out and she would get a place on the team.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs