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on edge

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on edge

 

1. Lit. on something's own edge. Can you stand a dime on edge? You should store these crates on edge, not lying flat.

2. Fig. nervous. (As if one were balanced as in {2}. See also on the edge.) I have really been on edge lately. Why are you so on edge?

See also: edge, on

on edge

nervous or worried You're always on edge waiting for an important call, because you don't really know when that phone will ring.

Usage notes: often used in the forms set you on edge or put you on edge: The accident set us on edge for several days.

Related vocabulary: set your teeth on edge

See also: edge, on

on edge

Tense, nervous, irritable, as in We were all on edge as we waited for the surgeon's report. This expression transfers the edge of a cutting instrument to one's feelings. [Late 1800s] Also see on the edge; set one's teeth on edge.

See also: edge, on

on edge

Highly tense or nervous; irritable.

See also: edge, on