don't hold your breath
English edit
Etymology edit
Suggesting that if one were to hold one's breath while waiting for the expected event, one would die before it happened
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Phrase edit
- (idiomatic, imperative) Don't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.
- - The government says it's going to introduce free meals for all schoolchildren.
- Huh, don't hold your breath.
- 2021 February 24, Christian Wolmar, “Franchising still exists - under tight Departmental control”, in RAIL, number 925, page 48:
- Don't hold your breath and don't jump to conclusions, but there is likely to be an announcement about the future of the railways in the next few weeks - [...].
Related terms edit
Translations edit
don't wait
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