Cool your heels Meaning in English
expression
ˈkuɫ/ /ˈjɔɹ/, /ˈjʊɹ/ /ˈhiɫz
KOOL-yer-HEELZ
kˈuːl/ /jˈɔː/ /hˈiːlz
KOOL-yaw-HEELZ
Definition
To be forced to wait for something, usually for a long time and often feeling impatient or frustrated.
Usage & Nuances
This is an idiomatic, somewhat old-fashioned and mostly informal expression. Used to describe being made to wait, often by someone in authority. Common in storytelling; not used in formal writing or direct conversation.
Spanish: esperar (impacientemente) - estar esperando sin quererPortuguese (BR): ficar esperando (impacientemente) - esperar contra a vontadePortuguese (PT): ficar à espera (impacientemente) - esperar contra a vontadeChinese (Simplified): 苦等 - 不情愿地等待Chinese (Traditional): 苦等 - 不情願地等待Hindi: मज़बूरी में इंतजार करना - मजबूरन प्रतीक्षा करनाArabic: ينتظر مُرغمًا - الانتظار على مضضBengali: অপেক্ষা করতে থাকা - ধৈর্য ধরে বসে থাকাRussian: ждать у моря погоды - томиться в ожиданииJapanese: じっと待たされる - 待ちぼうけを食うVietnamese: chờ dài cổ - bị bắt phải đợi lâuKorean: 발만 동동 구르다 - 오랫동안 기다리다Turkish: kapıda bekletilmek - uzun süre beklemek zorunda kalmakUrdu: انتظار کی آگ میں جلنا - طویل انتظار کرناIndonesian: menunggu dengan tidak sabar - dipaksa menunggu lama
Example Sentences
I had to cool my heels in the waiting room for an hour.
basic
The students cooled their heels while waiting for the teacher to arrive.
basic
He didn't like to cool his heels, but he had no choice.
basic
I spent half the day cooling my heels outside my boss’s office.
natural
Don’t make me cool my heels while you finish your meeting!
natural
They made us cool our heels at the entrance for over two hours.
natural