Where does the term "baited breath" originate and what is its meaning?

tjoebigham

You mean "BATED" breath, or breath that is stopped short, as in "abated"...though novelist Richard Hughes punned on bated/baited in his "In Hazard". Nov 29 03, 9:18 AM

DogRL

By George bshaw322, "Shall I bend low, and in a bondman's key, With bated breath and whispering humbleness." Merchant of Venice Act1 Scene3 ... much later "nor all that glisters gold". Baited. Nov 30 03, 12:40 AM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

From where does the English word "poppycock" (meaning nonsense) originate? Where did the pathetic idea of an Easter Bunny originate, and what's the meaning and purpose of it all? Where does the name "Djuna" come from and what is its meaning? How did the Encyclopedia Britannica achieve its name? Where did the "Britannica" originate?

1 It's Its! One of the most common mistakes editors find in quizzes is confusion over when to use 'its' and 'it's'. If you create quizzes, help me out by taking this quiz! If the usage is correct, pick 'yes', otherwise, pick 'no'. Quizmaker Tune-Ups Very Easy 15 Q crisw Jun 06 00 9501 plays 2 Name That Meaning This is my first quiz, so I hope everyone enjoys it! Male and Female Names Difficult 10 Q piercedfairy Aug 25 04 717 plays 3 The Meaning Of Life This quiz is dedicated to 42, the number in which Douglas Adams said was the meaning of life in his ever increasingly misnamed Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. 11-50 Tough 10 Q cyansmommy Nov 26 08 846 plays