Idioms

on standby

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on standby

1. Ready and available; waiting to participate or take one's turn if the situation arises. We have another actor on standby if this guy doesn't work out.
2. Waiting with the hope of a seat on a plane, train, or bus becoming available. If you don't need to arrive at a specific time or date, you can save a lot of money on tickets by flying standby.
See also: on
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

on standby

waiting for one's turn, especially describing the status of travelers who wait at a soon-to-depart train, plane, or bus, hoping that a seat will become available. The passenger waited on standby for an available seat. The agent was able to seat all of the passengers on standby.
See also: on
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

on standby

Ready and waiting, as in We've got three more painters on standby. This expression originated in the navy in the 1940s, where it referred to someone being ready to come on duty as soon as required. From about 1960 it began to be widely used in aviation for a passenger waiting to take the first available seat on a full flight.
See also: on
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

on ˈstandby


1 ready to do something immediately if needed or asked: The emergency services were put on standby after a bomb warning.
2 ready to travel or go somewhere if a ticket or something that is needed suddenly becomes available: He was on standby for the flight to New York.
See also: on
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

on standby

1. Ready and available.
2. As a standby passenger.
See also: on
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive
The G1000 maintenance manual calls for a standby battery capacity test annually.
Standby power systems not only can protect grocery store owners from the effects of power outages in the present, but also can be a business differentiator in the future.
In spite of a lot of efforts to reduce standby power in home, there have been only a few research on standby power minimization of a remote receiver.
The iW628 uses iWatt's patented normally OFF technology to eliminate the bias current associated with conventional secondary-side controllers, thereby minimizing standby power consumption.
"Lusail's initiative has helped us do that, as more than 22 ambulance standby stations are now distributed around the country,"
The standby power refers to electric power that is consumed by an electric appliance while its power is turned off.
On June 24, Oconee plant employees determined that testing on the standby shutdown facility pressurizer heater breakers was not successful and the breakers, while operable, were found to be degraded.
This additional energy consumption, generally referred to as standby power, has led to new EPCA requirements.
Air New Zealand on Friday announced that it is launching standby fares in Christchurch this weekend.
Bristol, United Kingdom, August 17, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The software monitors device usage and helps tackle the increasing problem of standby power consumption, which currently costs UK householders over 500 million pounds Sterling a year, producing some 3.1 million tones of CO2*.
THREE people had a lucky escape at the weekend after a paramedic on standby spotted smoke billowing out of their flat.
On 7 January, a new Commission regulation entered into force banning the sale of a range of products with standby functionalities.
On 7 January, a new European Commission regulation entered into force banning the sale of a range of products with standby functionalities.
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