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On the verge...

Posted by ESC on February 12, 2003

In Reply to: On the verge... posted by S. Ryan on February 12, 2003

: I was having lunch with a colleague and this phrase was being discussed. Any ideas of origin? I found nothing in the archives.
: ...on the verge...

You are getting ready to do something. Right on the edge. "He's on the verge of asking for a divorce."

Meaning 2a from www.merriam-webster.com/

Main Entry: 1verge
Pronunciation: 'v&rj
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin virga rod, stripe
Date: 15th century
1 a : a rod or staff carried as an emblem of authority or symbol of office obsolete : a stick or wand held by a person being admitted to tenancy while he swears fealty b : the spindle of a watch balance; especially : a spindle with pallets in an old vertical escapement c : the male intromittent organ of any of various invertebrates
2 a : something that borders, limits, or bounds: as : an outer margin of an object or structural part : the edge of roof covering (as tiling) projecting over the gable of a roof British : a paved or planted strip of land at the edge of a road : SHOULDER b : BRINK, THRESHOLD

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