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Maple Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

expect to be waited on hand and foot

Sentences

Two years of coddling has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot. Whenever a cold wind blows in, they tremble and chatter their branches. Sissy trees.

I can't read the bold part. My questions are:

What does "on hand and foot" mean?

Who expects whom? Who waits for whom?

Thanks in advance!
  

Top answer

"waited on hand and foot" means that the person being so waited on doesn't have to lift a finger or move---everything is done for him. It's "waited" in the sense of service, like a waiter in a restaurant, not expectation or delay. These trees are very delicate, like a rich person who has never had to do anything for himself but has others to do the hard work for him.

— Delmobile

  • "waited on hand and foot" means that the person being so waited on doesn't have to lift a finger or move---everything is done for him.
  • It's "waited" in the sense of service, like a waiter in a restaurant, not expectation or delay.
  • These trees are very delicate, like a rich person who has never had to do anything for himself but has others to do the hard work for him.
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7 Answers
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"waited on hand and foot" means that the person being so waited on doesn't have to lift a finger or move---everything is done for him. It's "waited" in the sense of service, like a waiter in a restaurant, not expectation or delay.
These trees are very delicate, like a rich person who has never had to do anything for himself but has others to do the hard work for him.
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Maple,

You're experienced now, you should do some of your idiom searching yourself.

Use

Search inside for:

foot

or

hand

at:
It's there. Use this site for every idiom, it's a good one.

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Hi, Maple.
You're parsing this wrong. It's waited on as a unit -- past participle of an inseparable phrasal verb to wait on meaning served.
I love others to give me all the things I need. I love others to run and fetch things for me. I love others to serve me. = I love to be waited on.

Note the relationship to waiter -- a server in a resta
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Maple, you won't find this particular idiom listed under hand or foot on the site Marius mentioned. I found it listed under W there: wait on hand and foot
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YankeeMaple, you won't find this particular idiom listed under hand or foot on the site Marius mentioned. I found it listed under W there: wait on hand and foot

Sorry, it's there. This is the result of the search with:

Search inside for:

foot


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Marius Hancu
Maple,

You're experienced now, you should do some of your idiom searching yourself.

........

Hi, Mr Hancu

You are absolutely right!

The problem was that I DIDN'T REALIZE there EXISTS an idiom!

Though, now, nothing seems very difficult to understand.

Thanks for the link! It's helpful!
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CalifJim Hi, Maple.

You're parsing this wrong. It's waited on as a unit -- past participle of an inseparable phrasal verb to wait on meaning served.

I love others to give me all the things I need. I love others to run and fetch things for me. I love others to serve me. = I love to be waited on.

Note the relationshi
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