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wing

wing

30 5.8
An area at the side of a stage where actors wait out of sight
  • noun
  • /wɪŋ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : bambalinas
  • You can go back to waiting in the wings, Tommy Tune.
  • waiting in the wings

So what tends to happen is that slowly they try to prepare you for going back eventually onto the wings.

Examples

  • And then, as if they were waiting in the wings, five more tribes came forward, ready to defect on similar terms.

  • But I will stand in the wings for the entire show.

  • As he stood in the wing of the stage, the council members filed past him, taking their seats.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Just standing in the wings, I'd like it once more.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The girls wait in the wings until it's their turn to sway across the square.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Nora and Stokes watch from the wings with a mixture of uncertainty and disgust.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • But he told me to tell you that if you lose your way on stage, just look to the wings and you'll find a true magician to help you.

  • During this opening act, the two future icons were fated to watch from the wings, restless understudies awaiting their turn onstage.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Once, when I was a kid, I was standing in the wings watching you on stage.

  • The director calls her to the wings then, and the timing couldn't be better.

Synonyms

backstage
vswing
38 3.5

The area behind a stage where actors get ready

is the side stage area mainly for waiting and managing scenery
offstage
vswing
1 4.2

An area of the stage not visible to the audience where actors or props wait

is specifically the side space used to wait and manage scenery
off stage right
vswing
  • Jargon
5.1

A place to the right of the stage where actors wait out of view of the audience

is the side space used for waiting and scenery rather than only location

Idioms

5 5.1

Flying, especially about birds or insects

1 4.2

A more experienced person looks after and guides you

Compounds

76 3.8

People who support conservative political, social, and economic ideas and little change

30 1.0

The wing of a chicken cooked and eaten as a snack

19 3.9

People or groups that support more social equality and government help

7 2.6

A deep-fried chicken wing covered in spicy sauce eaten as a starter

wing nut
  • Offensive
6 9.0

A person with extreme political views that people insult

4 8.4

A senior Royal Air Force officer who is above a squadron leader and below a group captain

2 4.4

A comfortable chair with a high back and side wings to keep you warm

1 5.6

A shoe with a pointed toe and decoration on the front that looks like a W

buck-and-wing
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A lively solo tap dance with fast, energetic footwork

delta wing
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A triangular wing used on very fast jets

rotary wing
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A set of long rotating blades on a helicopter that lift it and let it hover

1 2.2

A wing of a turkey that people eat

wing loading
  • Specialized
1 8.2

The weight of a plane divided by the area of its wings

wing nut
  • Specialized
1 2.8

A small metal piece with two flat wings you turn by hand

bastard wing
  • Specialized
9.9

A small stiff group of feathers on the front edge of a bird's wing that helps control flight when landing

A small forest plant with leaves like wintergreen and pink-purple flowers

angel-wing begonia
  • Specialized
8.9

A South American plant with wing-shaped leaves and red flower clusters

A chicken wing cooked with a sweet, smoky sauce, usually grilled or baked

fore wing
  • Specialized
7.8

One of the front pair of thin parts an insect uses to fly when it has four wings

fore-wing
  • Specialized
8.2

The front wing on an insect with four wings, like a butterfly or beetle

A sea fish with large side and belly fins that glides above water

spurious wing
  • Specialized
9.1

A small group of stiff feathers on a bird's thumb that helps control flight

A fish with only its front fins made large so it can glide above the water

wing nut
  • Specialized
9.3

A tree with small winged seeds that grows near rivers in Asia

wing case
  • Specialized
7.7

A hard front shell on beetles that protects their thin back wings

9.6

A North American tree with rough, thick bumps on its branches that look like wings

wing screw
  • Specialized
5.5

A small metal part with flat side pieces you can turn by hand to hold things together

To shoot wild birds while they fly

wing-nut
  • Specialized
5.3

A metal nut with two flat wings for tightening by hand

wing-nut
  • Specialized
9.9

A tree that makes small nuts with wing-like parts that the wind carries

Having the form of a bird's wing

How Visible

center stage
  • US
8 3.9
wing
  • Jargon
30 5.8
backstage
107 3.0
offstage
1 4.2

Surface Forms

wing singular
wings plural

Etymology

Wing for the side area of a stage keeps the 'side' image: just as a wing is beside a bird, the wings of a stage are the hidden sides where actors wait, so they are out of the audience's view.