Do you ever wonder how you survived without Google? I do, daily. A couple of days ago as I wrote my thoughts on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I included the phrase “with baited breath.”
I looked at the phrase more than once, squinting my eyes to discern if that, indeed, was the proper way to say someone was waiting in great suspense for something to happen. On one hand, it seemed right. Bait, meaning something that entices, could perhaps suit my purposes, but it seemed like an ill-fitting puzzle piece when I examined it with eyes wide open.
This appeared to be a job for Google.
I typed in, “Is it bated or baited breath?”
Then I waited (with either bated or baited breath) for fewer than two seconds:
Bated breath vs baited breath. Bated breath is a phrase that means to hold one’s breath due to suspense, trepidation or fear. Bated breath is a phrase first mentioned in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. The word bated is an abbreviation of the word abated, meaning to lessen in severity or amount.
Who knew that bated was short for abated? Maybe everyone but me. Shouldn’t it be shown with an apostrophe—‘bated, to indicate it’s been abbreviated?
At any rate, I changed my text to show that Quentin Tarantino was most likely waiting with bated breath for my approval. Now I just need to find a way to use baited breath. How about, “Simon was the consummate fisherman. He always had the best results after eating worms for breakfast. It seems the bass were fond of his baited breath.”
But Pinterest had a better one.
Technology is good.
Peace, people.
Praying for Eyebrowz 
Love it! I thought you were just being clever & no need to correct it when I saw it. Great that you worked it out & got another blog out of it. Way to go! 😉
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I’m all about searching the tea leaves for another writing idea! Thanks!
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Good to know. I would have thought “baited” was the correct term, too.
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There’ll be no charge for my public service today. 😉
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I turn to Google all the time for things like this. It seems, long ago that I knew these things, but now I will do exactly what you discuss- look at a phrase, look some more, come back and look again, and nothing seems correct. I don’t think all the synapses are firing as well as they used to 😉
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My synapses certainly need new spark plugs!
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Leseli, I get troubled by that word often, sow ell done for the blog xxxxxx
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Thanks! It helps knowing that master Shakespeare coined the term. Makes total sense to me now.
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Yep. We all might have known x
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When I was writing I had a dual screen set up. One screen was my document, the other was a browser with multiple tabs open for research, one being my best friend Google.
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It’s such a great resource.
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This made me spit my tea. LOL 🙂
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🤣
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Excellent. I knew the correct spelling, but neither its meaning nor its origin. Love the cat image
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Thank you.
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Wow, I wasn’t aware of that at all. It makes me wonder if I’ve used that wrong all these years. I’m constantly checking the words I use when I write because I’ve lost whatever confidence I may have ever had about usage! – Marty
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I know I’ve used it incorrectly in the past, but honestly, I probably have only written it five times in 62 years.
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Fortunately we don’t have word bubbles in real life so people can’t see how we are spelling the words we say. Here’s another one most people get wrong: it’s “champing at the bit” not “chomping at the bit.” But, I’ll be waiting with bait on my breath to hear that said correctly.
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Hmmm! I’ve most likely said that wrong; although, I can always claim my Texas accent is to blame. 😉
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