on edge
Tense, nervous, irritable, as in We were all on edge as we waited for the surgeon's report. This expression transfers the edge of a cutting instrument to one's feelings. [Late 1800s] Also see on the edge; set one's teeth on edge.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use on edge in a sentence
In the film, the humans have amassed a giant armory of weapons, which makes the apes very on-edge, and leads to them revolting.
Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and Revolutionizing Cinema | Marlow Stern | July 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe front may be formed of two course of brick-on-edge, and if divisions are required, they should be formed in the same way.
If you want a real, first-class, tooth-on-edge Doone valley, the place to look for it is in the book.
Pomona's Travels | Frank R. Stockton
Browse