Question

On Pins and Needles waiting anxiously for something; extremely nervous; in great suspense

Accepted Answer

I was on pins and needles until I got the phone call that the plane had landed safely. This saying was first used in the late 1800s. When you're waiting nervously for something to happen, you sometimes feel as if you can't sit still—like needles or pins are sticking you. A writer once said it was like being "on pins and needles," and the phrase stuck. Other expressions of nervousness are "butterflies in the stomach" (see page 24) and "on tenterhooks" (see page 132).

Idiom	On Pins and Needles
Example	I was on pins and needles until I got the phone call that the plane had landed safely.
Meaning	waiting anxiously for something; extremely nervous; in great suspense
Origin	This saying was first used in the late 1800s. When you're waiting nervously for something to happen, you sometimes feel as if you can't sit still—like needles or pins are sticking you. A writer once said it was like being "on pins and needles," and the phrase stuck. Other expressions of nervousness are "butterflies in the stomach" (see page 24) and "on tenterhooks" (see page 132).

Pins Needles I Waiting Page Phone Call Plane