what does it mean?
"i'll be here waiting with baited breath"
It's actually *bated* breath. The phrase means to wait with great anticipation or anxiety; in essense, to wait in a state of suspense.
"Bated" is an aphetic shortening of "abate" -- to moderate, restrain, or lessen. But because "bated" is so rarely used these days, many people confuse the word with "baited," and so "to wait with baited breath" is becoming the standard form, much to the chagrin of English language purists.
"Bated" is an aphetic shortening of "abate" -- to moderate, restrain, or lessen. But because "bated" is so rarely used these days, many people confuse the word with "baited," and so "to wait with baited breath" is becoming the standard form, much to the chagrin of English language purists.
In this case it translates to "held", from the "restrain" meaning referred to above; cf. holding your breath.