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ImageSMART TALK
by Dr. U.R. Fulamalarchi



BAITED BREATH: Recently, a colleague here at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired felt our level of discourse was in dire straits because people were using straight-laced as if it were correct.

Baited breath is a similar mistake, also coming from limited vocabulary and low reading skills.  A cat might have baited breath if it chewed a mouthful of cheddar and then lay at a mouse hole, breathing heavily.  But bated breath denotes great anxiety or eagerness, when you'd actually hold your breath due to the tension.

You see, bated is short for abated, which means held back or stopped.  When you wait with bated breath, you're so tense you can hardly breathe.

Of course, we've all suffered someone's baited breath that would attract only buzzards.

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