Nervously anxious, as in He was on pins and needles, waiting for the test results. The graphic expression pins and needles for the tingling sensation experienced in recovering from numbness was transferred to a feeling of marked mental uneasiness about 1800.
on pins and needles
| Idioms: on pins and needles |
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
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- paraesthesia
- Needles and pins, needles and pins, when a man marries, his trouble begins
- pin (Idiom)
- acroparesthesia (medicine)
- industrial jewel (mineralogy)
- Harold Rome (literature)
- head injuries
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- A civil question deserves a civil answer
