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Kick your heels

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Kick your heels'?

Wait impatiently to be summoned.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Kick your heels'?

The kicking of heels alludes to the toe shuffling and foot tapping that people resort to when they are impatient at having to wait for something. It is an 18th century phrase and is first cited in a work by the appropriately named Samuel Foot – The Minor, 1760:

“To let your uncle kick his heels in your hall.”

See also – well-heeled.

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Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Kick your heels

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