to play a waiting game
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To bide one's time, knowing that that is the best way of winning; to adopt Fabian tactics (q.v.).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to play a waiting game” mean?
To bide one's time, knowing that that is the best way of winning; to adopt Fabian tactics (q.v.).
Is “to play a waiting game” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.