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 bear's design and technology waited in the wings while the cast and production was pulled together around it.

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But Anwar would argue he waited 25 years for his turn - a turbulent time in the wings, during which he was jailed twice.

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He is unlikely to get in as the 10, with Rogers currently in possession and Bellingham waiting in the wings.

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Ken Davis, the tour’s production stage manager, takes in the well-orchestrated chaos with a smile, gesturing at the massive props that occupy every possible nook and cranny in the wings.

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Whatever the merits of having someone different in charge – and many see Robert Jenrick waiting in the wings – it risks exposing the Tories once again to the most damaging of political forces: ridicule.

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