I know you are on the edge of your seat when you are watching a tense thriller in a theatre, watching an exciting football match or playing an XBOX game.
Do you say, when a group of scientists were witnessing a scientific testing,
"Everyone in the laboratory was on the edge of their seats the entire time."
Do you use on the edge of your seat when you are seeing anything that makes you excited?
I know you are on the edge of your seat when you are watching a tense thriller in a theatre, watching an exciting football match or playing an XBOX game.
on the edge of one’s seat (idiom)watching or listening to something with great interest, especially because one does not know what is going to happen
The above is Merriam-Webster’s definition. In my experience, this expression is almost always used in the way you say, typically to describe someone who’s “glued to their seat” when watching a tense scene in a drama of some kind. If you want to use it in other contexts, I think the situation needs to be very similar – for example, a team of scientists with their eyes glued to a huge screen as they wait for their space rocket to launch, or any similar scenario of high anticipation.
Yes and it is not just a figure of speech. People really do sit on the front edge of their seats when they are watching or listening to something exciting.
"Astronomers worldwide have been on the edge of their seats waiting for this map," said Joan Centrella, Planck program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Planck Mission Brings Universe Into Sharp Focus
. In my experience, this expression is almost always used in the way you say, typically to describe someone who’s “glued to their seat” when watching a tense scene in a drama of some kind. .
A minor quibble. "glued to one's seat" has a different meaning. If the audience at a performance are glued to their seats, they are not on the edge of them. It means that the show is so good that nothing will persuade them to get up and leave their seats.
Conversely, if you are on the edge of your seat then you are on the brink of leaving it in order to move toward the source of excitement.
watching or listening to something with great interest, especially because one does not know what is going to happen
The above is Merriam-Webster’s definition. In my experience, this expression is almost always used in the way you say, typically to describe someone who’s “glued to their seat” when watching a tense scene in a drama of some kind. If you want to use it in other contexts, I think the situation needs to be very similar – for example, a team of scientists with their eyes glued to a huge screen as they wait for their space rocket to launch, or any similar scenario of high anticipation.
Thank you lingobingo!
Yes, they were standing in the laboratory, keeping their eyes riveted upon the flask.
In this case, do you still use on the edge of your seat?
There was no chair for them to sit on in the laboratory.
Ah. No, it would sound pretty silly if people were standing. You’d probably have to find a different idiom in that case, to convey that they were “on tenterhooks” or “waiting with baited breath”.
And re chasint’s “quibble”, of course I wasn’t using that similar expression as a direct synonym, but it does convey the same idea of total absorption in what’s going on.
Last edited: Jul 29, 2023
You could perhaps say that they were "leaning forward" or "on the tips of their toes" with excitement.
Do you say, when a group of scientists were witnessing a scientific testing,
"Everyone in the laboratory was on the edge of their seats the entire time."
Usually, no. This situation usually doesn't apply to scientists doing testing.
A person who watches a sports event (but doesn't care who wins) enjoys it, but doesn't get excited. A fan (who hopes that his favorite team wins) gets excited ("on the edge of their seat"). The difference (the cause of the emotional excitement) is hoping for one outcome.
1. A scientist who hopes for one outcome cannot perform an accurate experiment. They must be neutral. Hoping for one outcome is called "scientific bias", and is strongly criticized.
2. In many cases, scientific testing is done repeatedly (to confirm results), or is done repeatedly with small variations each time (to detect the difference).
3. Often an experiment doesn't involve "something that you can watch happening".
4. The whole concept of "a group of scientists as spectators" sounds wrong. I've never heard of this happening.
5. The example in post #3 was an event (the arrival of the Planck map), not a scientific experiment.
Last edited: Jul 29, 2023
Usually, no. This situation usually doesn't apply to scientists doing testing.
A person who watches a sports event (but doesn't care who wins) enjoys it, but doesn't get excited. A fan (who hopes that his favorite team wins) gets excited ("on the edge of their seat"). The difference (the cause of the emotional excitement) is hoping for one outcome.
1. A scientist who hopes for one outcome cannot perform an accurate experiment. They must be neutral. Hoping for one outcome is called "scientific bias", and is strongly criticized.
2. In many cases, scientific testing is done repeatedly (to confirm results), or is done repeatedly with small variations each time (to detect the difference).
3. Often an experiment doesn't involve "something that you can watch happening".
4. The whole concept of "a group of scientists as spectators" sounds wrong. I've never heard of this happening.
5. The example in post #3 was an event (the arrival of the Planck map), not a scientific experiment.
Hello dojibear, let me describe another scenario,
Supposing a group of R&D engineers were testing a new product on their line. They were sitting in front of a row of screens which show different equipment. If everything went on well, then the test was a successful one.
In this case, do you say,
Everyone in the control room was on the edge of their seats the entire time.
