in the wings

1. Also, waiting in the wings. Nearby in the background, available on short notice. For example, Some police were in the wings in case of trouble at the rally, or There are at least a dozen young managers waiting in the wings for Harold to retire. This expression alludes to the theater, where a player waits in the wings or backstage area, unseen by the audience, for his or her turn to come on stage. [Second half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

The childhood lisp I thought I’d outgrown came roaring back like it had been waiting in the wings.

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"It happens in the wings of the Broadway show. You see the before and after moments," Grande said at a recent press conference.

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Benn silenced his doubters by winning the rematch and he will have plenty more waiting in the wings to make a case for why he cannot win a world title.

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“Fortunately for Walmart, it has a strong leader waiting in the wings in the shape of John Furner,” Saunders said.

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Meanwhile, in the wings are the Democrats he and Republicans really fear—the winners of this month’s New Jersey and Virginia races, the popular governors of Pennsylvania, Colorado and Kentucky.

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