on pins and needles

1. In a state of anxiety or tense expectation: “Jackie was on pins and needles waiting to hear about her job application.”

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Related Words

• anxious
• apprehensive
• edgy
• excitable
• fidgety
• jumpy
• panicky
• restless
• shaky
• skittish
• spooked
• tense
• uneasy
• uptight