Waiting with my breath....

Question

Is it grammatically correct and natural enough? What does it mean?? **Waiting with my breath ballooned in my chest**.

Rover_KE · Accepted Answer

What's the context?

CalifJim · Answer

Hasibrahman Is it grammatically correct and natural enough? What does it mean?
? *Waiting with my breath ballooned in my chest*.

English has a few expressions with "breath" that revolve around the idea of waiting.

So "Don't hold your breath" (~ Don't stop breathing) means that it's going to take a long time for something to happen. By extension it means "Don't expect (something) to happen".

— The government is going to reduce taxes!
— Don't hold your breath.

And "I'm holding my breath" (~ I've stopped breathing) means that I'm expecting something to happen soon. I won't be able to breathe again until it happens. (It could be something that might surprise me or something that might disappoint me, but in any case, I am excited or nervous to see what will happen.)

— I applied to get into university. I should be getting a letter about it soon.
— I suppose you'll be holding your breath until then.

"Waiting with my breath ballooned in my chest" is an elaborate, literary way of saying "I'm holding my breath". (When you breathe in, your chest expands.)

CJ

Waiting with my breath....

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