sitting

*sitting duck

Fig. someone or something vulnerable to attack, physical or verbal. (Alludes to a duck floating on the water, not suspecting that it is the object of a hunter or predator. *Typically: be ~; like ~; looking like~.) You look like a sitting duck out there. Get in here where the enemy cannot fire at you. The senator was a sitting duck because of his unpopular position on school reform.

See also: duck

*sitting pretty

living in comfort or luxury; living in a good situation. (*Typically: be ~; leave someone ~.) My uncle died and left enough money for me to be sitting pretty for the rest of my life. Now that I have a good-paying job, I'm sitting pretty.

See also: pretty

at a sitting

at one time; during one period. (Usually refers to an activity that takes place while a person is seated.) The restaurant could feed only sixty people at a sitting. I can read about three hundred pages at a sitting.

sitting on a gold mine

Fig. in control of something very valuable; in control of something potentially very valuable. When I found out how much the old book was worth, I realized that I was sitting on a gold mine. Mary's land is valuable. She is sitting on a gold mine.

See also: gold, mine

sitting on a powder keg

Fig. in a risky or explosive situation; in a situation where something serious or dangerous may happen at any time. (A powder keg is a keg of gunpowder.) Things are very tense at work. The whole office is sitting on a powder keg. The fire at the oilfield seems to be under control for now, but all the workers there are sitting on a powder keg.

See also: keg, powder

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a sitting duck

something or someone that is easy to attack or criticize Unarmed policemen walking the streets late at night are sitting ducks.

See also: duck

at/in one sitting

if you do something at one sitting, you do it during one period of time without stopping I read the whole book in one sitting.

See also: one

be sitting on a goldmine

to have or own something that is very valuable When property prices doubled in our area, we suddenly realised we were sitting on a goldmine.

be sitting pretty

to be in a good situation, usually because you have a lot of money They bought their house when prices were much lower so they're sitting pretty.

See be in the catbird seat, at one sitting, be on tail

See also: pretty

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at one sitting also in one sitting

during a short period of time A month's supply of that drug taken at one sitting would kill you. I read the book in one sitting and couldn't get to sleep after I finished it.

See also: one

sitting pretty

in a good situation She's sitting pretty as one of the music world's fastest-rising stars. These investments can provide cash to keep you sitting pretty once you retire.

See also: pretty