wait for the other shoe to drop

English - English

Definition of wait for the other shoe to drop in English English dictionary

To await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one which is not desirable

After the tournament, Player admitted that all through the final round he had been nervously waiting for more trouble. It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop..

To defer action or decision until another matter is finished or resolved

Hyphenation

wait for the oth·er shoe to drop

Turkish pronunciation

weyt fôr dhi ʌdhır şu tı drôp

Pronunciation

/ˈwāt ˈfôr ᴛʜē ˈəᴛʜər ˈsʜo͞o tə ˈdrôp/ /ˈweɪt ˈfɔːr ðiː ˈʌðɜr ˈʃuː tə ˈdrɔːp/

Etymology

() Apparently from early 20th century usage evoking a person in bed awoken by the loud sound of a neighbor dropping a shoe onto the floor and thereafter waiting for the second shoe of the pair to be dropped.