W

[wade in] or [wade into] {v.}, {informal}

1. To go busily to work.

/The house was a mess after the party, but Mother waded in and soon had it clean again./

2. To attack.

/When Bill had heard Jim's argument, he waded in and took it apart./

* ...

[wade through] {v. phr.}

To read through something long and laborious.

/It took John six months to wade through Tolstoy's War and Peace in the original Russian./

[wag] See: TONGUES TO WAG or TONGUES WAG.

[wagon] See: FIX SOMEONE'S WAGON, HITCH ONE'S WAGON TO A STAR, JUMP ON THE BAND WAGON, OFF THE WAGON, ON THE WAGON.

[wag one's chin] See: BEAT ONE'S GUMS, CHEW THE FAT, CHEW THE RAG, SHOOT THE BREEZE.

[wait] See: LIE IN WAIT.

[wait at table] or [wait on table] or [wait table] {v. phr.}

To serve food.

/Mrs. Lake had to teach her new maid to wait on table properly./

/The girls earn spending money by waiting at table in the school dining rooms./

[waiting list] {n.}

A list of persons waiting to get into something (as a school).

/The nursery school enrollment was complete, so the director put our child's name on the waiting list./

* /The landlord said there were no vacant apartments ...

[waiting room] {n. phr.}

The sitting area in a doctor's, lawyer's, accountant's, etc. office, or in a hospital, or other workplace, where people wait their turn.

* /Some doctor's offices have elegantly furnished waiting rooms with magazines, ...

[wait on] or [wait upon] {v.}

1. To serve.

/Sue has a summer job waiting on an invalid./

/The clerk in the store asked if we had been waited upon./

2. {formal} To visit as a courtesy or for business.

* /We waited upon the widow out of respect ...