Re: 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 http://www.m-w.com/home.htm

Main Entry: 1verge
Pronunciation: 'v&rj
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin virga rod, stripe
Date: 15th century
1 a (1) : a rod or staff carried as an emblem of authority or symbol of office (2) 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 (1) : an outer margin of an object or structural part (2) : the edge of roof covering (as tiling) projecting over the gable of a roof (3) British : a paved or planted strip of land at the edge of a road : SHOULDER b : BRINK, THRESHOLD