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