on tiptoe

1. Eagerly anticipating something, as in The children were on tiptoe before the birthday party . [Late 1500s]

2. Moving stealthily, warily, as in They went down the hall on tiptoe . [Mid-1700s] Both usages transfer standing on one's toes to a particular reason for doing so; def. 2 alludes to moving more quietly in this fashion.

Example Sentences

Joe stood on tiptoe to read the sign near the front door.

From Literature

Even standing on tiptoe, there was no way they could reach it alone.

From Literature

Eight-year-old Willow Lopez stood on tiptoe, her chin hooked over the 4-foot steel fence and her heart doing atomic drops as the aging wrestler climbed into the ring at the Sonoma County Fair.

From Los Angeles Times

"I remember the floor being so hot, and I remember hearing the sounds of the wood cracking. I remember just standing on tiptoe and I couldn't close my mouth because it was just burning," she says.

From BBC

She stood on tiptoe and reached into the back of the cabinets.

From Literature