in the wings

Idioms  

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]

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Example Sentences

Sarah R. burst out with the kind of auntie laugh that could probably be heard way back in the wings of the stage.

From Literature

His answer was that there were always alternatives, many of them militaristic in nature, in the wings to suck up the funds that had been spent in the past.

From Los Angeles Times

This year marks a veritable museum-palooza as Los Angeles debuts four new major arts complexes, with three in the wings likely to open in advance of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times

Phil will be without a music director, and with no one in waiting in the wings.

From Los Angeles Times

Waiting in the wings was an exiled Shia Muslim cleric who had opposed the Shah’s American-backed rule, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

From The Wall Street Journal