idioms using “watch”

As exciting as watching paint dry

Extremely boring

“Listening to our chairman speak is about as exciting as watching paint dry.”

Clock watcher

An employee who is more concerned with leaving work on time than with finishing his/her work

“Mari-san is not being considered for a promotion because she has a reputation as a clock watcher.”

Watch like a hawk

To watch very carefully (as if expecting trouble)

“He’s an excellent programmer but you’ll have to watch him like a hawk; he has been caught playing computer games during work hours.”

A watched pot never boils

When you sit and wait for something to happen, it seems to take a long time

“Staring at the computer screen won’t make the software load any faster. Don’t you know that a watched pot never boils?”

On the watch out for

To look for

“Everyone in the car was on the watch out for a hotel but we couldn’t find one.”