n.
the moment of realization that your quintessential future self isn’t ever going to show up, which forces the role to fall upon the understudy, the gawky kid who spent years mouthing their lines in the wings before being shoved into the glare of your life, which is already well into its second act.
From mean, common, humble, low-grade + the meantime, the time spent waiting for some other event to occur.