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Glite Dictionary
to cool one's heels

to cool one's heels

3 7.9
To wait somewhere for a long time feeling impatient
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : esperar
  • I had to cool my heels in the waiting room for almost an hour before the doctor saw me.
  • cool his heels and wait
  • cool his heels for a while
  • let him cool his heels

Examples

  • Our friend is cooling his heels in the city jail.

    Under Capricorn (1949)

  • But Obama administration officials tell the Back Channel that there are several reasons Kerry may have to cool his heels a while—having nothing to do with Kerry not being held in high esteem by the White House.

    Blog text (3)

  • Now, would you rather come with us or cool your heels in jail?

    Dead Heat (1988)

  • Let him cool his heels.

    You Can't Take It with You (1938)

  • So you might as well cool your heels a spell.

    Mudhoney (1965)

  • He can just cool his heels.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • He didn't want to waste a minute cooling his heels in an airport lounge.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • He swung the Bronco into a spot, then walked in to find his guest cooling his heels.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Don't think you're going to be cooling your heels and sipping Mai Tais waiting for the review board to go over that disaster yesterday.

    Swat: Unit 887 (2015)

  • He kept then-New York Times reporter Judith Miller cooling her heels for 85 days in stir until she agreed to testify before a grand jury in what became the Libby case.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

to wait
vsto cool one's heels
∞ 1.0

To stay in one place or delay action until something happens

is being kept waiting often with impatience rather than this general delaying
to hang tight
vsto cool one's heels
  • Informal
22 7.4

Wait patiently and stay calm during a delay

is being kept waiting often with impatience rather than calm patience
to wait your turn
vsto cool one's heels
17 2.0

Be patient and let others go before you until it is your turn

is being kept waiting often unwillingly rather than choosing to wait in line
to twiddle one's thumbs
vsto cool one's heels
  • Informal
1 6.8

Do nothing while waiting for something to happen

is being kept waiting and often feels impatient rather than simply idle
to kick one's heels
vsto cool one's heels
  • Informal
7.8

To wait doing nothing because you are delayed or bored

is being kept waiting and often feels impatient rather than just bored

Antonyms

to rush
403 1.0

To make a person or thing move quickly

to hasten
7 3.9

Move quickly to do something

How Long

to cool one's heels
  • Archaic
3 7.9
to wait
∞ 1.0
to hang on
  • Informal
111 3.4

Surface Forms

cool one's heels infinitive
cooled one's heels past
cooled one's heels past participle
cooling one's heels present participle
cools one's heels third person singular

Morphology

cool + one + heel

The literal parts ('cool' + 'one's' + 'heels') evoke an image of feet cooling from standing around, so there is a plausible metaphorical link to waiting or idling. However, mapping that image to the conventional meaning 'to be kept waiting' is somewhat idiomatic and not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The idiom cool one's heels comes from a simple picture: imagine someone forced to sit on a cold step so their heels grow cold while they wait. So, to cool one's heels means 'to be kept waiting', often for a long time.