expect to be waited on hand and foot

 These trees are very delicate, like a rich person who has never had to do anything for himself but has others to do the hard work for him. 

You're parsing this wrong.  It's waited on as a unit -- past participle of an inseparable phrasal verb to wait on meaning served.

I love others to give me all the things I need.  I love others to run and fetch things for me.  I love others to serve me. = I love to be waited on. 

Note the relationship to waiter -- a server in a restaurant.  The waiter waits on the customers. 

The expression as a whole is an idiom.  to wait on (someone) hand and foot.  Adding hand and foot adds the idea of extreme attention to every little need.  The person serving does everything possible to please the other, using hands to present needed things, using feet to run and fetch things for the other.

When you say it, group waited and on together and pause slightly.  Then say hand and foot.  Don't group it as on hand and foot. 

It is very unusual to speak of an inanimate like a tree as 'being waited on', however!

CJ 

Yankee

Maple, you won't find this particular idiom listed under hand or foot on the site Marius mentioned. I found it listed under W there:  wait on hand and foot

Sorry, it's there. This is the result of the search with:

Search inside for:

foot

http://www.answers.com/main/searchDSResults.jsp?st=foot&dsid=2417&dsname=Idioms&dsPrimaryTaxonomy=literature&x=16&y=8] 

CalifJim

 Hi, Maple.

 

You're parsing this wrong.  It's waited on as a unit -- past participle of an inseparable phrasal verb to wait on meaning served.

I love others to give me all the things I need.  I love others to run and fetch things for me.  I love others to serve me. = I love to be waited on. 

Note the relationship to waiter -- a server in a restaurant.  The waiter waits on the customers. 

The expression as a whole is an idiom.  to wait on (someone) hand and foot.  Adding hand and foot adds the idea of extreme attention to every little need.  The person serving does everything possible to please the other, using hands to present needed things, using feet to run and fetch things for the other.

When you say it, group waited and on together and pause slightly.  Then say hand and foot.  Don't group it as on hand and foot. 

 

Hi, CJ, I think I get it now.

It reminds me that long ago, I read one of your discussions about whether we can say we know the word out and blue, if we haven't got the least idea of what "out of blue" means. Same kind of problem.

It is very unusual to speak of an inanimate like a tree as 'being waited on', however!

As to this point, the whole article is kinda a metaphor; they're comparing plant husbandry with child education.

Thanks and Regards!

Maple