Make Your Editor Cry: Baited breath vs. Bated breath
When you think about bait, things like hooks, worms, and lures should come to mind. So, if you’re trying to say that someone is holding his breath, you probably don’t want to make it anything about bait.
The first word in this phrase should actually be bated which stems from the verb “abate,” meaning to stop or lessen.
The correct expression is “bated breath.”
Examples:
Incorrect:
Natasha waited for a fish to bite with baited breath.
Correct:
Natasha waited to unwrap her birthday presents with bated breath.
Gregg Bridgeman is the Editor-in-Chief at Olivia Kimbrell Press. He is husband to best-selling Christian author Hallee Bridgeman and parent to three. He continues to proudly serve in the US Armed Forces and has done so in either an active or reserve capacity for more than twenty years as an airborne and air assault qualified paratrooper, earning a Bronze Star for his service. Most importantly, he was ordained in October of 2001 after surrendering his life to Christ decades earlier.