kick one's heels

present singular third person kicks one's heels · participle present kicking one's heels · participle past kicked one's heels · past kicked one's heels

1. idiomaticTo wait; to wait impatiently or restlessly.

   […] the older fathers were left to kick their heels in their empty booths, which made them very cross...

   1999, Denis Diderot, translated by David Coward, Jacques the Fatalist, page 37

   2 more examples

   […] whether, in one single instance, any individual has been obliged to kick his heels in the lobby even for one minute, and whether the order was not instantly granted ?

   1830, The Edinburgh Literary Journal, volume 1, page 231

   It is the fate of sequels to disappoint those who have waited for them; and my David, having been left to kick his heels for more than a lustre in the British Linen Company’s office, must expect his late re-appearance to be greeted with hoots, if not with missiles.

   1893, Robert Louis Stevenson, Catriona, Dedication: To Charles Baxter

   Synonyms: be left kicking

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see kick, heels.

   The dancer kicked her heels as high as her shoulders.

   1 more example

   The restless boy kicked his heels against the chair legs.

   Synonyms: bide one's time, cool one's heels