hold still for

Idioms  

1. Also, stand still for. Accept or tolerate something, as in Do you think he'll hold still for your decision? These terms are often put negatively, as in The town won't hold still for another increase in property taxes, or The teacher won't stand still for this kind of behavior. The first expression employs hold in the sense of “sustain a particular position or attitude,” a usage dating from about 1300.

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Example Sentences

They took slow panoramas from hilltops, and held still for minutes, sometimes hours, on downtown garment-shop blocks or railroad crossings.

From New York Times

How can movement be safely incorporated into classrooms — not just for activities but because kids rarely hold still for long — while maintaining safe distances?

From Washington Post

But he’d controlled himself enough to hold still for my ministrations.

From The New Yorker

“Not at all. Just a little itch. Try to hold still for me?”

From Literature

Patients must hold still for only seconds at a time, compared to minutes for traditional radiation and older versions of proton therapy.

From Washington Post