hang over

hang over idiom
  1. Remain suspended or unsettled, as in They plan to let the vote hang over until the next session. This usage alludes to something suspended or floating in the air. [c. 1200]
  2. Also, hang over one's head. Threaten or be imminent, as in I've got that test hanging over me, or A stiff fine is hanging over his head. [Mid-1500s] Also see hang by a thread.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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