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on pins and needles

on PINS and Nee·dles
O o

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [on, awn pinz and need-lz]
    • /ɒn, ɔn pɪnz ænd ˈnid lz/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [on, awn pinz and need-lz]
    • /ɒn, ɔn pɪnz ænd ˈnid lz/

Definitions of on pins and needles words

  • noun on pins and needles a tingly, prickly sensation in a limb that is recovering from numbness. 1
  • idioms on pins and needles on pins and needles, in a state of nervous anticipation: The father-to-be was on pins and needles. 1
  • adverb on pins and needles nervous, on edge 1
  • noun on pins and needles in a state of anxious suspense or nervous anticipation 0
See all 4 definitions of on pins and needles

Information block about the term

Origin of on pins and needles

First appearance:

before 1800
One of the 42% newest English words
First recorded in 1800-10

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for On pins and needles

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of On pins and needles

on pins and needles popularity

This term is known only to a narrow circle of people with rare knowledge. Only 29% of English native speakers know the meaning of this word.
According to our data about 69% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

on pins and needles usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for on pins and needles

adj on pins and needles

  • antsy — If someone is antsy, they are nervous or impatient.
  • appetent — having an eager longing or desire
  • concerned — If you are concerned to do something, you want to do it because you think it is important.
  • fidgety — restless; impatient; uneasy.
  • hyper — overexcited; overstimulated; keyed up.

adjective on pins and needles

  • chafing — to wear or abrade by rubbing: He chafed his shoes on the rocks.
  • clutched — to hatch (chickens).
  • discomfited — Make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed.
  • disquieted — lack of calm, peace, or ease; anxiety; uneasiness.
  • exercised — Simple past tense and past participle of exercise.
All 16 Synonyms of on pins and needles

Antonyms for on pins and needles

adjective on pins and needles

  • waiting — an act or instance of waiting or awaiting; delay; halt: a wait at the border.
Just one Antonym for on pins and needles

See also

Matching words

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