bide one's time
bide (one's) time
To delay some action until an ideal moment or situation reveals itself. I'm just biding my time in an office job until a tenure-track position opens up at one of the local colleges.
See also: bide, time
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
bide one's time
Wait for the opportune moment, as in The cat sat in front of the mousehole, biding its time. This phrase employs the verb to bide in the sense of "to wait for," a usage dating from about a.d. 950 and surviving mainly in this locution.
See also: bide, time
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
bide one's time, to
To wait for the right moment to speak or take action. The verb to bide, meaning “to wait for” since about the year 950, survives today only in this cliché. Frederick W. Robertson used the expression in a sermon (1853): “They bide their time and suddenly represent themselves.”
See also: bide
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- bide
- bide (one's) time
- bide time
- bide your time
- until then
- wait for it
- postpone
- postpone until
- postpone until (some later date or time)
- carry over to/until (some day or time)