Reader's question:

In the midst of a deep economic crisis, President Barack Obama has squeezed in two big foreign-policy tours that have told much of the world exactly what it wanted to hear: that the era of George W. Bush is over. But the world also remains on edge about exactly what change in U.S. policies the president will bring. Could you explain “remain on edge”?

My comments:

When people are described as being “on edge”, it’s as though saying they’re all leaning on the edge of their seats, i.e. they are so anxious that they can’t sit still – anxious to get to the end of a whodunit movie, or to get to any answer they want to find. It’s the same as saying people are being “edgy” or “antsy” – like a bunch of frantic ants.

In the example above, it means the world is still anxious to see exactly what change in policy Obama will bring. They’ve see some signs of it, but nothing substantial, yet.

All right?

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About the author:

Zhang Xin has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.