401

in the balance

- in an undecided state
The decision to buy a car or not was in the balance as we tried to borrow some money
from the bank.

in the bargain

- in addition to what was agreed upon
There was a camping stove in the bargain when we bought the camping equipment at
the store.

in the best of health

- very healthy
My father has been in the best of health for many years now.

in the black

- have a credit balance, make a profit
The company has been in the black for over three years now.

in the buff/raw

- naked, nude
I was in the buff when the doorbell rang.

in the cards

- to be expected, likely to happen, predictable
I think that a new company policy is in the cards but I can`t be sure.







402

in the care of (someone)

- in the keeping of someone
The package for my cousin arrived at our house in the care of my father.

in the case of (someone or something)

- in the matter of someone or something
In the case of the man who stole the car he went to jail for several months.

in the charge of

- under the care or supervision of
The girl has been in the charge of her grandmother since her mother and father died.

in the chips

- wealthy

My aunt has been in the chips since she won the lottery.

in the clear

- with nothing to limit action, free of anything that makes moving or seeing difficult
We seem to be in the clear now so it should be safe to cross the road.

in the clear

- free of blame or suspicion
The police talked to the three boys for a few minutes but they seem to be in the clear
now.








403

in the clouds

- far from real life, in dreams, in thought
His head is usually in the clouds so you may have trouble finding out what you want
to know from him.

in the context of (something)


- in the circumstances under which something has happened
In the context of everyday work I could understand what my friend was saying.

in the course of

- during
In the course of his life he visited over 45 countries.

in the dark

- having no information about something
He is still in the dark about my plans to quit my job.

in the doghouse

- in trouble
He is in the doghouse with his wife after staying out late last night.

in the doldrums

- sluggish, in low spirits
My mother has been in the doldrums since she came back from her holidays.

in the driver's seat

- in control
I am in the driver's seat regarding what kind of apartment we rent for our holiday.


404


in the end

- eventually, ultimately
In the end, I decided not to go to a movie with my friend.

in the event of (something)

- if something happens
In the event of a fire, everybody must immediately leave by the front door.

in the final/last analysis

- in truth, when all the facts are known
In the final analysis I believe that it will be impossible to continue with our present
policy.

in the first place

- firstly, to begin with
"Of course I can`t go. In the first place I must work on Saturday. In the second place I
have no money."

in the flesh

- really present, in person
I have never had the chance to meet the president of our university in the flesh.

in the groove


- at one`s best, doing something very well
We are finally in the groove and should be able to finish this job by early next week.







405

in the hole

- having a score lower than zero in a game
At the beginning of the game we were in the hole but later we began to do well.

in the hole

- in debt, lose money
Although he is always working he always seems to be in the hole.

in the interest of (someone or something)

- as a benefit to someone or something, to advance or improve someone or something
In the interest of improving communication between the members of the staff we had
a large barbecue so people could meet each other.

in the interim

- in the time between the ending and beginning of something

The school is not yet built so in the interim we have our classes in an office building.

in the know

- knowledgeable
I don't think that our teacher is in the know about the problems in the other classes.

in the lap of luxury

- in luxurious surroundings
I have been living in the lap of luxury since I got a big salary increase at work.

in the limelight

- at the center of attention
Our police chief has been in the limelight since the big scandal began.


406

in the line of duty

- done or happening as part of a job
The police officer was killed in the line of duty during the bank robbery.

in the long run

- the distant future, in the end
For now he is losing money on his stocks but in the long run he should make money.


in the mainstream

- following current trends/styles that are popular or common
My brother has never been in the mainstream when it comes to working and raising a
family.

in the market for (something)

- wanting or ready to buy something
I am in the market for a new computer as my old one is too slow.

in the meantime

- the period of time between now and the beginning of something
I can't go to university now so in the meantime I am going to a junior college.

in the middle of nowhere

- in a very remote place
We stopped in the middle of nowhere to have a picnic.

in the money

- wealthy, the winning position in a race
Now that my cousin is working, he is finally in the money.


407

in the mood for (something)


- feel like doing something
I am not in the mood for pizza this evening.

in the near future

- in the time immediately ahead
In the near future I plan to move to a smaller apartment and try to save some money.

in the nick of time

- just in time, just before it is too late
I was able to answer the telephone just in the nick of time.

in the nude

- naked
I was in the nude after my shower when the phone rang.

in the offing

- happening at some time in the future
There is a meeting in the offing to try and make a new schedule for the junior tennis
games.

in the open

- in an area that is not closed in, outdoors
Everybody was out in the open during the wedding when the rain began to fall.


in the pink

- in very good health
My grandmother is in the pink and is doing very well.


408

in the prime of life

- in the best and most productive and healthy period of life
The young man was in a terrible car accident and died in the prime of life.

in the public eye

- publicly, visible to all
The actor has not been in the public eye since he got into trouble with the law.

in the rear

- behind someone or something
There were several trucks in the rear when they opened the bridge to traffic last night.

in the red

- lose money, not make a profit
The company has been in the red for three years now.

in the right


- on the right or legal side of an issue
I was in the right when I was involved in the car accident at the intersection.

in the right place at the right time

- in a place or time that is beneficial to you
I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time when I found my job.

in the running

- competing and having a chance to win
I think that I am in the running for a promotion at my company.


409

in the saddle

- in command, in control
The president is back in the saddle again after being ill for several months.

in the same boat

- in a similar situation
We are all in the same boat now that our store has gone out of business.

in the same breath

- said almost at the same time
My friend said that he was busy on Friday but in the same breath he suggested that we

go away for the weekend.

in the second place

- in addition, secondly
In the first place I am very tired and in the second place I don't have enough money to
go to the movie.

in the short run

- for the immediate future
In the short run I don't think that my uncle will make much money with his fast food
business.

in the soup

- in serious trouble, in disorder
She is in the soup now that she has had a big fight with her boss.






410

in the swim

- active in something, know what is going on
He is definitely in the swim. He has information about everybody.


in the trust of (someone)

- under the responsibility or care of someone
My grandmother's money was placed in the trust of my mother.

in the twinkling of an eye

- very quickly
In the twinkling of an eye the little boy disappeared in the department store.

in the unlikely event of/that

- if something which probably won't happen actually happens
In the unlikely event that the money will not be transferred to the bank we will send
out a check.

in the wake of (something)

- as a result of something, following something
In the wake of the large number of people who have recently left our company we
will need to hire some new people.

in the way of (something)

- as a kind of something
I gave my girlfriend a small present in the way of trying to apologize for our fight last
week.