don't hold your breath en · X
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Suggesting that if one were to hold one's breath while waiting for the expected event, one would die before it happened
Meanings
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(idiomatic, imperative) Don't wait. Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned is unlikely to happen soon or at all.
- The government says it's going to introduce free meals for all schoolchildren. - Huh, don't hold your breath.
Don't hold your breath and don't jump to conclusions, but there is likely to be an announcement about the future of the railways in the next few weeks - [...].
2021 February 24, Christian Wolmar, “Franchising still exists - under tight Departmental control”, in RAIL, number 925, page 48:
Relateds
breathholding · with bated breath
Translations (12)
pt podes esperar sentado (don't wait) · de da kannst du lange drauf warten (don't wait) · pt espera sentado (don't wait) · pt podes tirar o cavalinho da chuva (don't wait) · cmn 別指望了 /别指望了 (don't wait) · it ce n'è da aspettare (don't wait) · fi älä odota liikoja (don't wait) · ru раскати́л губу́ /lit: you've unrolled your lip/ (don't wait) · ru держи́ карма́н ши́ре /lit: hold your pocket wider/ (don't wait) · de darauf kannst du lange warten (don't wait) · es espera sentado (don't wait) · de darauf können Sie lange warten (don't wait)