Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Peter Mark Roget

132} lateness &c adj.; tardiness &c (slowness) 275. delay, delation; cunctation, procrastination; deferring, deferral &c v.; postponement, adjournment, prorogation, retardation, respite, pause, reprieve, stay of execution; protraction, prolongation; Fabian policy, medecine expectante [Fr.], chancery suit, federal case; leeway; high time; moratorium, holdover. V. be late &c adj.; tarry, wait, stay, bide, take time; dawdle &c (be inactive) 683; linger, loiter; bide one's time, take one's time; gain time; hang fire; stand over, lie over. put off, defer, delay, lay over, suspend; table [Parl.]; shift off, stave off; waive, retard, remand, postpone, adjourn; procrastinate; dally; prolong, protract; spin out, draw out, lengthen out, stretch out; prorogue; keep back; tide over; push to the last, drive to the last; let the matter stand over; reserve &c (store) 636; temporize; consult one's pillow, sleep on it. lose an opportunity &c 135; be kept waiting, dance attendance; kick one's heels, cool one's heels; faire antichambre [Fr.]; wait impatiently; await &c (expect) 507; sit up, sit up at night. Adj. late, tardy, slow, behindhand, serotine†, belated, postliminious†, posthumous, backward, unpunctual, untimely; delayed, postponed; dilatory &c (slow) 275; delayed &c v.; in abeyance. Adv. late; lateward†, backward; late in the day; at sunset, at the eleventh hour, at length, at last; ultimately; after time, behind time, after the deadline; too late; too late for &c 135. slowly, leisurely, deliberately, at one's leisure; ex post facto; sine die. Phr. nonum prematur in annum [Lat.] [Horace]; against the sunbeams serotine and lucent [Longfellow]; ie meglio tardi che mai [It]; deliberando saepe perit occasio [Lat.] [Syrus].