Baited breath here. (What the heck is the origin of that one??)
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Edit... "bated", not "baited", haha!
Quote:
"Bated" is a form of "abate," which means “to diminish, beat down, or reduce.” So when you're waiting with bated (read: abated) breath,you're so eager, anxious, excited, or frightened that you're almost holding your breath. Shakespeare used the phrase "with bated breath" in The Merchant of Venice.
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Learned something new today.