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Prepositional phrase
[edit]on pins and needles
- (idiomatic) Feeling sharp anticipation or anxiety; in a state of suspense.
1889, Mark Twain, chapter 6, in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court:Merlin hesitated a moment or two, and I was on pins and needles during that little while.
1923, Hugh Lofting, chapter 1, in The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, part 5:I was on pins and needles of expectation and curiosity.
feeling sharp anticipation or anxiety
- Arabic: (please verify) عَلَى أَحَرَّ مِنَ الجَمْرِ (ʕalā ʔaḥarra mina l-jamri)
- Catalan: amb l'ai al cor (ca)
- Chinese:
- Hokkien: 搩搩控 (khia̍t-khia̍t-khàng) (Quanzhou)
- Mandarin: 焦慮不安／焦虑不安 (zh) (jiāolǜbù'ān), 如坐針氈／如坐针毡 (zh) (rúzuòzhēnzhān), 提心吊膽／提心吊胆 (zh) (tíxīndiàodǎn), 懸心吊膽／悬心吊胆 (zh) (xuánxīndiàodǎn), 坐立不安 (zh) (zuòlìbù'ān)
- Danish: oppe på lakridserne, på stikkerne
- Dutch: op hete kolen
- Hungarian: alig vár (hu), tűkön ül (hu)
- Irish: ar bís
- Italian: in sospeso, sui carboni ardenti, sulle spine
- Korean: 안절부절 (ko) (anjeolbujeol), 안절부절못하다 (ko) (anjeolbujeolmothada)
- Polish: jak na szpilkach (literally “like on pins”)
- Romanian: ca pe ace
- Russian: как на иголках (kak na igolkax)
- Scottish Gaelic: air bhioran
- Spanish: a la expectativa, con el alma en vilo, en ascuas, en vilo (es)
- Swedish: hålla någon på halster
- Turkish: diken üstünde
- Vietnamese: nhấp nhổm (vi)
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