名师：摆脱蹩脚英语之Wait

expressions that mean wait

these expressions are generally used to ask someone to slow down or wait for you to catch up。

hold it. eg. hold it. we forgot to lock the door。

hold up. eg. hey, everyone! hold up! wait for me。

wait up. eg. wait up. i’m coming with you。

slow down. eg. would you slow down and wait? i can’t walk that fast。

whoa. (word used to slow or stop a horse) eg. whoa! what’s the big hurry?

the rest of the expressions in this section have a variety of functions they’re used to:

tell someone who has interrupted you to wait

reply to someone who asks you to hurry

reassure someone who is waiting for service

ask someone to hold on the phone

ask others for patience

note: the expressions are shown with the word minute, but you can also say second or sec (short for second­)

just a minute eg. just a minute. i’m almost ready。

wait a minute eg. wait a minute. i’ll talk to you when i finish this math problem。

hang on (a minute) eg. hang on a minute. i’ll call her to the phone。

hold on (a minute) eg. if you hold on a minute, then i’ll be able to help you。

the two expressions that follow also mean to wait, but they are less polite:

what’s the (big) rush? or what’s the (big) hurry? eg. hey, what’s the big rush? there’s plenty of time。

hold your horses. eg. hold your horses! i’ll be there in a minute。