kick one's heels

Verb

kick one's heels (third-person singular simple present kicks one's heels, present participle kicking one's heels, simple past and past participle kicked one's heels)

1. (idiomatic) To wait; to wait impatiently or restlessly.
   • […] 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 restless boy kicked his heels against the chair legs.
   • The dancer kicked her heels as high as her shoulders.

   Synonyms:

   bide one's time, cool one's heels