“Don’t Hold Your Breath”
BTS — “RUN”
💭 Meaning
“Don’t hold your breath” is a warning not to expect something to happen soon, or possibly at all, i.e., it’s used when the likelihood of an outcome is low.
✍️ Examples
Henry told his student not to hold her breath waiting for a response from the highly selective summer program.
If you're expecting a quick reply from the admissions office during peak season, don't hold your breath.
Henry's colleague joked that if he was waiting for the school to simplify its application process, don't hold your breath.
📜 Origin
The phrase draws on the literal act of holding one's breath while waiting anxiously for something, since a person physically cannot hold their breath indefinitely without serious consequences. This physical impossibility became a natural metaphor: telling someone “don't hold your breath" implies that if they truly waited that way for the event in question, they'd suffer (or even die) before it ever happened. The idiom became especially popular in American English by the early-to-mid 20th century, often used sarcastically to temper unrealistic expectations.
