on the bench

1. Presiding as judge in a law court, as in Lawyers are very careful when Judge Brown is on the bench . This usage alludes to the seat occupied by a judge. [Late 1200s]

2. Waiting for a chance to participate; also, removed from participation. For example, Mary complained that all her colleagues were going to the sales conference while she was left on the bench . This usage comes from baseball and other sports, where players not deemed ready or competent to play sit on a bench watching the game. [Early 1900s]

Example Sentences

However, despite fielding seven forwards on the bench in the 32-15 win over Scotland, head coach Rassie Erasmus has opted for a conventional five forwards-three backs split among his replacements.

From BBC

While Crowley has been given another chance after being withdrawn just before the hour mark against New Zealand, the uncapped Sam Prendergast is set to make his debut having replaced his Leinster team-mate Ciaran Frawley on the bench.

From BBC

Morgan, 24, was named on the bench for the defeat against Fiji but made an impression when he came on in the second half.

From BBC

Cardiff back row Botham was also prominent in the latter stages last weekend and comes in for Plumtree, who drops out of the 23-man squad, while Reffell is on the bench.

From BBC

With the added bulk of flanker Francois Louw and locks RG Snyman and Franco Mostert, the Springboks opted for six forwards on the bench and only two backs as an innovative way of maintaining their dominance up front for the entire 80 minutes.

From BBC

Related Words

• idle
• inactive
• jobless
• underemployed