exclam. Just wait a minute!; Don’t be in a rush. (Possibly said as if to avoid a fight, for which one removes one’s shirt. That is, Let’s not rush into a big argument or fight; wait a minute. The expressions are old and in very wide use, too wide to suggest a reference to sexual urgency.) I’ll be right with you. Keep your shirt on! We’ll be there in a minute! Keep your pants on!