Feeling agitated with suspense, waiting for something anxiously, worried or excited about something

Etymology:

  • This idiom originated in the 19th century. There are occasions when you are not able to sit still as you are very anxious or nervous for something about to happen. Your condition is like someone is sticking needles or pins into you. An author used the phrase “on pins and needles” to demonstrate the condition and it became popular.
47 Views

You shouldn’t keep Vaughn on pins and needles.

Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'On Pins and Needles':

on pins and needlesFeeling sharp anticipation or anxiety; in a state of suspense.
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the On Pins and Needles phrase in other languages:

sur épingles et aiguilles

su spilli e aghi

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to On Pins and Needles

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this On Pins and Needles phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this On Pins and Needles definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "On Pins and Needles." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/on-pins-and-needles_44891>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    She is as graceful as a _____.
    A flight
    B swan
    C dancer
    D lion