Idiom: On pins and needles Posted on 28th June 201827th June 2018 by DoubleClick On pins and needles: Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of something. Example: John has been on pins and needles all day, waiting for his wife to have the baby. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Posted in Idiom and tagged Idiom O.