Talk:I can wait

RFD discussion: March 2019–March 2020
Er, sum of parts really isn't it? Equinox ◑ 07:14, 21 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Delete. —Μετάknowledge discuss/deeds 20:49, 21 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Delete. Chignon – Пучок 13:35, 22 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Delete. Sum of parts. Not lexical. Not dictionary material. ---&#62; Tooironic (talk) 23:07, 24 March 2019 (UTC)
 * Delete - TheDaveRoss  02:50, 29 March 2019 (UTC)
 * What does it mean? The definition suggests it is a negation of can't wait, in the sense of "I am eagerly looking forward to". Does it mean "Unlike you, I am not eagerly looking forward to and would be happy to skip (the event, etc.)"? If that's what it means, I would not know you can use the phrase like this. --Dan Polansky (talk) 18:43, 13 April 2019 (UTC)


 * A: "I can't wait for the film to come out!" B (who dislikes these films): "I can wait." B is in no hurry to see the film and has no interest in it. Equinox ◑ 18:45, 13 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Thank you. In Czech, character A would say "Nemůžu se dočkat až ten film poběží v kinech" or the like. Character B would not be able to say "Já se můžu dočkat". From my standpoint, the entry is worth keeping. --Dan Polansky (talk) 19:10, 13 April 2019 (UTC)
 * More in the way of argument: the usual phrase is the negative one, can't wait. The use of the positive I can wait is at least somewhat surprising, I would argue, which lends the phrase its sarcastic tone. I can wait is labeled informal, while can't wait not so. Therefore, I can wait is peculiar at least a little. --Dan Polansky (talk) 19:24, 13 April 2019 (UTC)

Keep.-Sonofcawdrey (talk) 08:43, 28 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Comment: I would think that the literal meaning would be useful as a translation hub, but there are no translations in the entry. bd2412 T 21:09, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
 * I don't know how to translate this to Czech: when one person says nemůžu se dočkat, it is not idiomatic Czech to reply *já se můžu dočkat and mean by it "I could not care less". That reinforces my impression that this is a worthwhile entry to keep. --Dan Polansky (talk) 08:56, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Failed, though if there are idiomatic translations perhaps it could be restored as a translation hub at some point. - TheDaveRoss  15:36, 29 March 2020 (UTC)

RFD discussion: December 2021–March 2023
See Talk:I can wait. I wasn't around for that RFD discussion. I think this should be kept because the SOP argument doesn't hold up (despite the last consensus). Example sentence:
 * Person A: "I can't wait for this movie to come out." Person B: "I can wait."

"I can wait" in this sentence does not simply mean "I am able to wait". It has a deeper meaning, more like "I am not particularly eager to do something like you are." PseudoSkull (talk) 21:45, 27 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Addendum: I changed the vote to put the lemma at can wait, since, though much rarer, I'm sure it's possible to say "John can certainly wait." or something similar. PseudoSkull (talk) 21:51, 27 December 2021 (UTC)
 * There is also, “What’s the hurry? It can wait.” If this be SOP, I’m unclear which sense of covers this use.  --Lambiam 12:48, 28 December 2021 (UTC)
 * "to remain neglected or in readiness" General Vicinity (talk) 13:05, 28 December 2021 (UTC)
 * I think "John can certainly wait" is unusable unless "I can't wait" or something has been said previously, because the regular sense of "wait" dominates General Vicinity (talk) 13:07, 28 December 2021 (UTC)
 * There's something to this, but I wonder if it shouldn't just be covered at wait. DAVilla 22:31, 1 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Leaning undelete, with conditions. I think the definition that was there previously is SOP, but I think there was/is a missing gloss of the use of the phrase to mean that stalling will not be an effective tactic, e.g.: Shayla Black, His to Take (2015), p. 29: “You don't want to answer me? All right. I can wait. I've got all afternoon. How about you?” bd2412 T 23:20, 19 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Undelete per nom. - excarnateSojourner (talk | contrib) 00:39, 9 April 2022 (UTC)
 * The sense suggested for un-deletion doesn't seem to match the discussion here, I do agree that can wait is the best place for the sense discussed here, but perhaps it should just be created from whole cloth. - TheDaveRoss  18:25, 31 August 2022 (UTC)


 * Undelete in the sense "I am not particularly eager to do something like you are": I made a pro-keeping argument the last time and if some native speakers above seem convinced by that type of argument, let me add my voice to undelete the entry. If this gets undeleted as can wait, I can wait should better be a hard redirect. --Dan Polansky (talk) 18:00, 3 September 2022 (UTC)
 * Can any admin undelete this? What's going on here? --Dan Polansky (talk) 20:07, 30 January 2023 (UTC)
 * RFD-undeleted. Binarystep (talk) 00:23, 12 March 2023 (UTC)