chomping at the bit
Restless to begin
Chomping at the bit describes eager impatience, like a horse chewing restlessly on its bridle while waiting to run.
Someone chomping at the bit is ready to act and frustrated by delay: The team was chomping at the bit to start the project.
The original phrase is *champing* at the bit, but *chomping* has largely displaced it in American usage.
- eagerIntensely wanting something
- raringExtremely eager, impatient
- raring to goExtremely keen to begin
- excitedEagerly anticipating something
- impatientUnwilling to wait
anxious · on the edge of my seat · bridle · restless · held back · champing · keen · itching to start · ardent · reins · thirsty · bit · straining · dying · anticipation · wound up · looking forward to · enthusiasm
- anticipationanticipating, expectation, expectancy, expecting, awaiting
- Horse Idiomshold your horses, dark horse, high horse, straight from the horse's mouth, horse sense
- Mangled Idiomsrocket surgery, for all intensive purposes
- mood idiomsbad mood, black mood, dark mood, foul mood, in a mood
- racing termsbackstretch, checkered flag, daily double, dead heat, exacta
- word errorseggcorn, malapropism, could of, would of, for all intensive purposes
chomping at the bitpatient
Able to wait calmly
biding one's time · calm · unhurried · relaxed · taking one's time
chomping at the bitdragging one's feet
Intentionally slowing progress
reluctant · apathetic · indifferent · unenthusiastic · foot-dragging