Every Time Barney Says ‘Wait for It’ on How I Met Your Mother
David Craig Of all the things we’re going to miss about How I Met Your Mother, we might miss Barney Stinson most of all. We’ll miss a lot of things about Barney: his finely tailored suits, his prolific devotion to the medium of bro puns, his intimate knowledge of the female anatomy. But perhaps most of all, we’ll miss his catchphrases. Over the course of the show’s nine seasons, Barney was a veritable well of quotable (brotable?) lines, building the gang’s very own lingua franca and introducing the world to phrases like “suit up,” “legendary,” “have you met Ted?” and, of course, “wait for it.” In honor of tonight’s finale, here’s a complete list of all 40 times Barney said “wait for it” over the course of the show’s long run. We’ll miss you, Swarley. You were always legen — wait for it …
Season 1
1. “De — wait for it — nied! Denied! We’re goin’ out tomorrow night.”
2. “It’s gonna be legen — wait for it … and I hope you’re not lactose-intolerant ‘cause the second half of that word is — dary!”
Season 2
3. “She has — wait for it, here it comes, almost there — an identical twin!”
4. “No, okay, no, no more. I will not let this become a thing. It’s over. No more Swarley, no Swarles, no more Swar-lay, no more Swar— wait for it —ley, no more Bob Swarley-mon. No more. No! It’s over! Do you understand?”
5. “Our friend Robin used to do porn— wait for it —ography.”
6. “Guess who’s on his way up to my apartment now. My — wait for it — brother, James.”
7. “It’s gonna be legen— wait for it [Falls asleep, wakes up after the door slams] —dary.”
8. “And Ted, my boy, it’s going to be legend— wait for it.”
Season 3
9. “Legen— wait for it —”
10. “Step six is called purg— wait for it. Keep waiting. Keep waiting for all of eternity only to discover that there’s no escape —atory.”
Season 4
11. “I think tonight is going to be de — wait for it — lightful.”
12. Barney: “I’m — wait for it — in— wait for it — love — wait for it — with — wait for it — a — wait for it — certain—”
Marshall: “I know that you’re in love with Robin!”
13. Barney: “Marry? Ha-ha-ha. No. I have something much, much more special in mind. Petra, here, if all goes well, will be my — wait for it — 200th! Sorry, I couldn’t wait. It’s all too exciting.”
Ted: “Your 200th, as in sex with?”
Barney: “As in sex with. I request the highest of fives.”
14. Barney: “If I can talk a stripper into paying me for a lap dance, I think I can talk my way out of a ticket. Challenge accept— wait for it — [points to Ted]”
Ted: “I don’t get it.”
[Barney points to head in ‘think about it’ gesture]
Ted : “Oh, accep-Ted!”
Season 5
15. “It was Legend— wait for it —s of the Falls. Legends of the Fall. It was okay.”
16. Barney: “I will stop wearing — wait for it —”
Robin: “We know you’re gonna say suits.”
Barney: “Suits.”
17. “I’m sorry, suits, let’s make amends,
My Sunday bests are my best friends,
Send Casual Friday down the laundry chute
‘Cause nothing suits me, undisputed, oft-saluted, suitor of repute like a — wait for it — suit.”
Season 6
18. “Dude, working together is going to be legen— wait for it — I’ll send you an in-office memo with the rest because we freaking work together!”
19. “It was legend— wait for Ted to leave because he’s now The Blitz —dary. Legendary!”
20. “And she is indeed hot, which is why nothing, not even God himself — yeah, I said it, Beardy — is going to stand in the way of tonight being legend— wait for it — [sneezes] uh-oh.”
21. “You’re a master. You are legend— wait for it —daddy. Legend-daddy. The man is a god!”
22. “Yeah, getting to stand next to me while I press the button. That is going to be legen— wait for it —dary-adjacent. Legendary-adjacent!”
Season 7
23. “Tonight is going to be legen— ‘Wait, are we sure it’s a good idea to go to a strip club?’ ‘Shut up, Lily, I’m in charge now!’ —dary.”
24. “Ted, tonight is gonna be — wait for it — dary! Wait, no, that’s not it. How do I usually say it?”
25. Barney: “My God, you’re hot” [goes in for a kiss]
Quinn: [turning her head away] “Wait for it …”
Barney: “I can’t handle how hot you are right now.”
Quinn: “Wait for it …”
Barney: “It’s gonna be legen— I’m not waiting for it anymore!” [They start making out, then cut to the end of them having sex]
Quinn: ” —dary.”
26. “You watch, Ted, tonight is going to be legen— it’s the night we stole a camel! Which means it will be full of drama —dary.”
27. Marshall: “What’s the middle name?”
Barney: “Wait for it.”
Marshall: “I’m waiting.”
Barney: “Wait for it.”
Marshall: “I said, I’m waiting.”
Barney: “Wait for it.”
Marshall: “What’s the middle name?”
Barney: “No, the middle name is ‘wait for it.’”
28. [About Quinn offering Barney an eight-way with her stripper friends]
Robin: “How is that a punishment?”
Barney: “Wait for it …” [Flashback]
Quinn: “But I forbid you from filming it with your overhead camera that zooms in on whoever’s being the loudest.”
Barney: “Nooooo!”
Season 8
29. “I found out I’ll never trust someone enough to get married, and that’s fine. My single life is, and always will be, legen— wait for it —dary! My wedding is gonna be legendary.”
30. “I’m just gonna grab this star to put on top of the tree. It’s gonna be legend— wait for it —merry.”
31. [Regarding a fake Genesis show] “It’s gonna be legen— oh thank god, there is no concert.”
32. Barney and Future Barney: “It’s gonna be legen — wait for it — dary.”
33. [Barney talking about his Bro Mitzvah] “Here’s my dilemma. My average night is like an average guy’s bachelor party, so no offense, but if you two plan it it’s going to be ordi— why wait for it —nary. Ordinary.”
34. Robin: “A week from today, we are going to be legend— wait for it —”
Barney: “Married.”
Robin and Barney: “Legen-married.”
Season 9
35. Robin: “So what do you got against K.Rog? Everybody loves The Gambler.”
Barney: “Wait for it.”
Ted’s brother: [singing] “How can we be wrong, sail away with me. To another world. And we will rely on each other. [Plays both Kenny Rogers’s and Dolly Parton’s role in “Islands in the Stream”]
36. Barney: “Whether any of those mammals go rogue, our wedding is going to be legendary.”
Robin: “No ‘wait for it’?”
Barney: “I’ve got you. I don’t have to wait for it anymore.”
37. [Streaming Marshall in via iPad]
Marshall: “This place looks beauti—” [iPad freezes]
Barney: “Wait for it.”
Ted: “He’s frozen.”
38. “When we leave the church, they’re going to release 100 doves. It’s going to be avi — wait for it — ary. Aviary.”
39. [To Robin] “Your first day back live on the air is gonna be legen— wait for it —dary.”
40. “It’s going to be legen — wait for it — dary.”
Every Time Barney Says ‘Wait for It’ on HIMYM
