sit tight, to

sit tight

To wait patiently without taking any immediate action. I know you're anxious to hear how you did, but just sit tight—they'll let you know the results when they're ready. The CEO is urging investors to sit tight until the new product has had a chance to generate some sales.See also: sit, tight

sit tight

to wait; to wait patiently. (This does not necessarily refer to sitting.) Just relax and sit tight. I'll be right with you. We were waiting in line for the gates to open when someone came out and told us to sit tight because it wouldn't be much longer before we could go in.See also: sit, tight

sit tight

Be patient, take no action, as in If you just sit tight I'm sure your passport will be returned to you. [Colloquial; first half of 1700s] See also: sit, tight

sit tight

COMMON If you sit tight, you stay in the same place or situation and wait to see how it develops before taking any action. The message is, those who want to sell their houses should sit tight for a couple of years if they can. I think the Bundesbank is going to sit tight for a couple of months, at least until it sees better signs on money supply growth.See also: sit, tight

sit tight

1 remain firmly in your place. 2 refrain from taking action or changing your mind. informal 1 1984 Studs Terkel The Good War Our colonel told everyone to sit tight, don't leave the camp. See also: sit, tight

sit ˈtight

not move; not change your position, in the hope that your present difficulties will be solved or go away: If your car breaks down on the motorway, sit tight and wait for the police. ♢ In a period of recession businessmen have to sit tight and hope for better times in the future.See also: sit, tight

sit tight

Informal To be patient and await the next move.See also: sit, tight

sit tight, to

To take no action; to bide one’s time. This term is said to come from poker, where a player who does not want either to continue betting or to throw in his or her cards is said “to sit tight.” However, it may come from the much earlier locution, to sit close, which similarly alludes to sitting still with one’s knees close together, in effect in a waiting attitude. “He sits close and keeps his own,” wrote Sir Thomas Herbert (Travaile into Afrique, 1634). “They would sit tight and strike out hard,” wrote Sir Robert Baden-Powell (The Matabele Campaign, 1896).See also: sit