warm the bench
Sit out games
To warm the bench is to sit on the sidelines rather than participate, originally from sports where reserve players remain seated during games.
The phrase implies being sidelined or underutilized: He spent his freshman year warming the bench.
It can extend beyond athletics to any situation where someone is kept in reserve rather than given a meaningful role.
- lazePass time idly
- idleWithout activity or purpose
- benchwarmerSeldom-used team member
- sidelinedRemoved from participation
- substituteReplacement for another
reserve · inactive · standby · stagnate · backup · roster · ride the pine · placeholder · splinters · rotation · second-stringer · third string · second fiddle · team · understudy · waiting in the wings · depth chart · starter