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Why do we say with bated breath?
Bated breath first appeared in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice in 1605. Using a shortened form of abated, which means “stopped or reduced,” the phrase refers to people holding their breath in excitement or fear as they wait to see what happens next.
Is it waiting with baited breath or bated breath?
A The correct spelling is actually bated breath but it’s so common these days to see it written as baited breath that there’s every chance that it will soon become the usual form, to the disgust of conservative speakers and the confusion of dictionary writers.
How do you use bated breath in a sentence?
Flora and I waited with bated breath to hear what Evelyn considered sensible. I was waiting with bated breath for him to say something, anything, that wasn’t a cliché. Once, twice, and he waited with bated breath, trapped by a childhood memory. She waited with bated breath for their host to emerge from the shadows.
Is it correct to say bated breath?
Nobody would rush toward fishy breath. “Baited breath” spelled that way—like fish bait—is wrong. Your Quick and Dirty Tip is to remember the moneylender Shylock and his abated, held back, breath.
Who said waiting with bated breath?
Origin of “Bated Breath” The phrase ‘bated breath’ seems to have been used by William Shakespeare for the first time in his play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ in 1596. The major character, Shylock says; “Shall I bend low and in a bondman’s key, With bated breath and whispering humbleness.”
Whats the meaning of bated?
transitive verb. 1 : to reduce the force or intensity of : restrain waited with bated breath. 2 : to take away : deduct That grave and orderly senior was not going to bate a jot of his dignity …—
Is it baited or bated?
Baited is the past form of the verb bait, which means to tease, harass, or put food (or bait) in a trap. A hook, witness, or animal is baited (lured, enticed, tempted). The word bated is a clipped form of the past tense of the verb abate, which means to reduce or restrain. Breath is bated.
Who said bated breath?
The phrase ‘bated breath’ seems to have been used by William Shakespeare for the first time in his play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ in 1596. The major character, Shylock says; “Shall I bend low and in a bondman’s key, With bated breath and whispering humbleness.”
How do you use bated in a sentence?
Bated sentence example
- The words forced themselves out of her mouth and she gazed up at him with bated breath.
- The ancient Indian ritual for the sacrifice to the Fathers required the officiating priest to turn away with bated breath that he might not see the spirits engaged upon the rice-balls laid out for them.
How do you use copse in a sentence?
Copse sentence example
- I have seen bricks amid the oak copse there.
- He stayed with them and was shocked when the car left the road, bumping into a secluded copse, frightening the girl.
- On the left our troops were close to a copse, in which smoked the bonfires of our infantry who were felling wood.
What is the meaning of the word bated ‘?
What is a group of trees on a hill called?
Definition of copse : a thicket, grove, or growth of small trees. — called also coppice.
What is a bunch of trees called?
grove. noun. a group of trees of a particular type, especially trees arranged in lines.
What is a circle of trees called?
A fairy ring is a common name for a group of redwood trees growing in a circle, usually around the stump of a logged old-growth tree. After being cut down, a new generation of trees sprout from the roots of the fallen redwood, often creating a near-perfect circle or ring.
What do you call a group of coconut trees?
What does’waiting with bated breath’mean?
Breathing that is subdued because of some emotion or difficulty. ‘Waiting with bated breath’ is holding your breath in anticipation. What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Bated breath’?
What is the origin of the phrase Bated Breath?
You’ll breathe easier once you master this frequently misused phrase. Bated breath first appeared in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice in 1605. Using a shortened form of abated, which means “stopped or reduced,” the phrase refers to people holding their breath in excitement or fear as they wait to see what happens next.
What does the phrase’Bated Breath’mean?
Using a shortened form of abated, which means “stopped or reduced,” the phrase refers to people holding their breath in excitement or fear as they wait to see what happens next. If you’re watching the Olympics and Simone Biles is performing a new dismount to win the gold, you might watch her dizzying twists and flips with bated breath.
Is it spelled’baited breath’or’bated breath’?
Search in Google and you’ll find about the same number of hits for ‘baited breath’ as ‘bated breath’. If you thought this phrase was spelled ‘baited breath’ you are in good company.