hurry up and wait

1. Move quickly and then have to wait for something or someone. For example, We did our share in good time, but the others were several days behind so we couldn't finish—it was another case of hurry up and wait. This expression dates from the 1940s and probably originated in the armed services.

Example Sentences

“You’ve got to deal with contracts and business relationships with different publishers all over the world, so I felt like those skills translated. And there’s a lot of hurry up and wait on book tours with the media and press junkets and book signings, so the production schedule for ‘The Good Daughter’ was like being on a book tour for 71 days as opposed to two weeks!”

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, a Carolina Federation organizer briefed attendees on the party's call to action for the evening: "hurry up and wait."

From Salon

"We have moved into a hurry up and wait situation," he admitted.

From BBC

The “hurry up and wait” beat of deliberations gave way to anticipatory tension.

From Seattle Times

“Hurry up and wait” is a concept any military member understands well, and it was an apropos mantra to sum up the trip, which Lombardi said entailed “long periods of boredom that are punctuated with moments of sheer terror.”

From Seattle Times