chair (redirected from chairing)

keep someone on the edge of their seat (British, American & Australian, American)

if a story keeps you on the edge of your seat, it is very exciting and you want to know what is going to happen next. You must rent this video. It keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the end.

See also: edge, keep, seat

nearly fall off your chair

to be very surprised about something. When my mother told me she was getting remarried I nearly fell off my chair.

See also: fall, nearly

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play musical chairs

to move people from one organization or job to another. The teams play musical chairs at that position — all of the top punters have played for at least two teams.

Usage notes: also used in the form a game of musical chairs: Buckley was reassigned in a game of corporate musical chairs Thursday.

Etymology: based on the children's game in which there is one more player than there are chairs and the players walk in a circle around the chairs until music stops playing, at which time they hurry to the nearest empty chair

See also: play

pull up a chair

to move a chair so you can sit with others in a group. We're just talking about the picnic on Saturday — why don't you pull up a chair?

Usage notes: often used as an invitation, as in the example

See also: pull