watch the world go by
To pause and remain still whilst doing nothing but surveying the environment around oneself.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I like to sit on the bench and watch the world go by.”
“After a busy week, she spent the entire Saturday at a sidewalk cafe just to watch the world go by.”
“He found a quiet corner in the park where he could escape his responsibilities and simply watch the world go by for a few hours.”
- 01
all dressed up and nowhere to go
Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.
- 02
all over the world
throughout the world, everywhere, worldwide, globally.
- 03
all systems go
Everything is ready.
- 04
as you go
While one is doing (something); as one progresses.
- 05
best of both worlds
A combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits.
- 06
boldly go where no man has gone before
To break new ground.
- 07
come and go
To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.
- 08
come into the world
To be born.
Last updated August 10, 2026