To remain unsettled or unfinished; to be held in process or in abeyance: often with a notion of delay. See also hanging, adj. 3. Obsolete.

intransitive. Of a matter: to come to a standstill, to suffer delay or hindrance, to fail to progress. Chiefly with adverb or prepositional phrase…

Scottish. intransitive. To be postponed. Obsolete. rare.

to cool one's heels (also †feet, †hooves): to rest, esp. after the feet have become hot with walking; (now usually) to wait, to be kept waiting.

intransitive. To be delayed or deferred. Obsolete. rare.

Of a business or other matter: To be deferred or postponed for a season; to be kept waiting, be allowed to wait. Obsolete.

intransitive. To slow down; spec. to undergo retardation (retardation, n. 2a).

lame duck, (a) (see duck, n.1 9); (b) U.S. Politics, an office-holder who is not, or cannot be, re-elected; spec. (before 1933), a defeated member in…

Phrases (chiefly colloquial and slang). to cool one's toes, to be kept waiting; cf. to cool (cool, v.1 phrases 4) or kick one's heels (heel, n.1 int.…