NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 33 doc

in back of
someone or something
behind someone or something.
in bad faith without sincerity;
with bad or dishonest intent; with
duplicity.
in bad taste and in poor taste
rude; vulgar; obscene.
in between located in the middle
of two things.
in black and white in writing or
printing; made official by being
written or printed.
in bloom with many flowers; at the
peak of blooming.
in blossom with many flowers; at
the peak of blooming.
in broad daylight publicly visible
in the daytime.
in bulk in large quantities or
amounts, rather than smaller,
more convenient quantities or
amounts.
in case in the event [that] some-
thing happens; preparing for
something that may happen.
in contempt (of court) showing
disrespect for a judge or court-
room procedures.
in creation Go to on earth.
in custody (of

someone or some-
thing
) and in
someone’s or some-
thing’s
custody the condition of
being kept guarded by police.
in debt having debts; having much
debt; owing money.
in deep water in a dangerous or
vulnerable situation; in a serious
situation; in trouble.
in denial in a state of refusing to
believe something that is true.
in detail with lots of details; giving
all the details.
in disguise hidden behind a dis-
guise; looking like something else.
in earnest [done] with good and
honest intentions.
in effect
1.
in existence; applicable.
2. producing a particular effect;
effectively.
in essence basically; essentially.
in existence now existing; cur-
rently and actually being.
in fact truthfully; actually.
in fashion fitting in well with the

clothing that has been designed for
a particular season of a particular
year.
in fine feather in good humor; in
good health.
in flight while flying.
in full swing in progress; operating
or running without restraint.
in general referring to the entire
class being discussed, without
being specific; speaking broadly of
the entire range of possibilities; in
most cases or situations.
in good condition Go to in good
shape.
in good shape and in good con-
dition physically and functionally
sound and sturdy. (Used for both
people and things.)
in hand controlled; under control.
in heat [of animals] in a period of
sexual excitement; in estrus.
in heaven in a state of absolute
bliss or happiness.
in horror with intense shock or dis-
gust.
in back of someone or something
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in ink written or signed with a pen
that uses ink.
in
its
entirety and in
their
entirety in a state of complete-
ness.
in jeopardy in danger; at risk; at
hazard.
in labor [of a woman] experiencing
the pains and exertion of child-
birth.
in less than no time very quickly.
in many respects Go to in some
respects.
in memory of
someone
to con-
tinue the good memories of some-
one; in honor of a deceased
person.
in midair in a point high in the air.
in mint condition in perfect con-
dition.
in name only nominally; not
actual, only by terminology.
in need (of
something
) [of some-

one or some creature] requiring
something.
in neutral with the shift lever of a
vehicle in the position where the
motor is running but is not power-
ing the wheels or other moving
parts.
in no mood to
do something
not to
feel like doing something; to wish
not to do something.
in nothing flat in exactly no time
at all.
in one ear and out the other [for
something to be] ignored; [for
something to be] unheard or
unheeded.
in one fell swoop Go to at one
fell swoop.
in
one’s
birthday suit naked; nude.
in
one’s
blood Go to in the blood.
in
one’s
mind’s eye in one’s mind.
in

one’s or its
prime at one’s or its
peak or best time.
in
one’s
right mind sane; rational
and sensible. (Often in the nega-
tive.)
in
one’s
second childhood being
interested in people or things that
normally interest children.
in
one’s
spare time in one’s extra
time; in the time not reserved for
doing something else.
in over
one’s
head with more dif-
ficulties than one can manage.
in park [of an automobile trans-
mission] having the gears locked
so the automobile cannot move.
in pencil written or signed with a
pencil.
in person [with someone] actually
present in a place rather than
appearing in a film, on a television

screen, or through a radio broad-
cast.
in poor taste Go to in bad taste.
in print [for a book] to be available
for sale. (Compare this with
out
of print.
)
in proportion and out of pro-
portion
showing the right or
wrong proportion relative to
something else.
in public in a place or way so that
other people can see or know
about something.
in rags in worn-out and torn cloth-
ing.
in rags
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in reality viewing things realisti-
cally; really; actually.
in receipt of
something
in a state
of having received something.
in recent memory the period of
time in which things that can be

remembered happened.
in return by way of giving some-
thing back; as a way of paying
someone back for something; as
part of an exchange.
in round figures Go to in round
numbers.
in round numbers and in round
figures as an estimated number;
as a figure that has been rounded
off to the closest whole number.
in ruin in a state of having been
destroyed.
in season 1. currently available for
selling. (Some foods and other
things are available only at certain
seasons.)
2. legally able to be
caught or hunted.
3. [of a dog] in
estrus. (See also
in heat.)
in secret secretly.
in session [of a court, congress, or
other organization] operating or
functioning.
in seventh heaven in a very happy
state.
in shape [of someone] in good
physical condition.

in short order very quickly.
in short supply scarce.
in sight able to be seen.
in some respects and in many
respects
with regard to some or
many details. (Here
respects =
aspects.)
in
someone’s or something’s
cus-
tody Go to in custody (of
someone
or something
).
in
someone’s
(own) (best) inter-
ests to someone’s own advantage;
as a benefit to oneself. (Compare
this with
in the interest(s) of
some-
thing
.)
in
someone’s
prayers [of someone]
remembered and called by name

when someone prays.
in spite of
someone or something
without regard to someone or
something; even though another
course had been prescribed; ignor-
ing a warning.
in stock readily available, as with
goods in a store.
in storage in a place where things
are stored or kept.
in surgery involved in surgery.
in tandem in single file.
in tatters in torn pieces of cloth.
in terms of
something
relating to
something; with regard to some-
thing.
in the affirmative in the form of
an answer that means yes.
in the air everywhere; all about.
(Also used literally.)
in the bargain in addition to what
was agreed on.
in the black not in debt; in a finan-
cially profitable condition.
in the blood and in
one’s
blood

built into one’s personality or
character.
in the cards in the future.
in reality
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in the context of
something
under
the circumstances in which some-
thing has happened.
in the doghouse in trouble; in
(someone’s) disfavor.
in the doldrums sluggish; inactive;
in low spirits.
in the flesh bodily or physically
present; in person.
in the forefront (of
something
)
Go to at the forefront (of
something
).
in the gutter [for a person to be]
in a bad state, mentally and physi-
cally.
in the hole in debt.
in the interest(s) of
something

in
order to advance or improve
something.
in the interim (between
things
)
in the meantime; in the time
between the ending of something
and the beginning of something
else.
in the know knowledgeable.
in the lap of luxury in luxurious
surroundings.
in the line of duty as part of one’s
expected duties.
in the long run over a long period
of time; ultimately.
in the meantime the period of
time between two things; the
period of time between now and
when something is supposed to
happen.
in the money wealthy; having suc-
ceeded financially.
in the mood for
something
and in
the mood to
do something
hav-

ing the proper state of mind for a
particular situation or for doing
something.
in the mood to
do something
Go
to
in the mood
for something
.
in the neighborhood of
some-
thing
Go to (
somewhere
) in the neigh-
borhood of
something
.
in the nick of time just in time; at
the last possible instant; just
before it’s too late.
in the nude in a state of nudity.
in the picture of (good) health
in a very healthy condition.
in the pink (of condition) in very
good health; in very good condi-
tion, physically or emotionally.
in the prime of life in the best and
most productive period of one’s

life.
in the public eye publicly; visible
to all; conspicuous.
in the rear located in the space or
area behind someone or some-
thing.
in the red in debt.
in the right on the moral or legal
side of an issue; on the right side
of an issue.
in the right place at the right
time
in the location where some-
thing is to happen exactly when it
happens. (Usually about some-
thing good.)
in the same boat in the same situ-
ation; having the same problem.
in the same breath [stated or
said] almost at the same time; as
part of the same thought or con-
versation.
in the twinkling of an eye very
quickly.
in the twinkling of an eye
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in the wind about to happen.
in the world Go to on earth.

in the wrong on the wrong or ille-
gal side of an issue; guilty or in
error.
in the wrong place at the wrong
time
in the location where some-
thing is to happen exactly when it
happens. (Usually about some-
thing bad.)
in
their
entirety Go to in
its
entirety.
in theory according to a theory;
theoretically.
in time within the proper time;
before the deadline; before the
time limit; within the allotted
time.
in times past long ago; in previous
times.
in top form
1.
[of someone or
some creature] in very good physi-
cal condition.
2. able to make
witty remarks and clever state-
ments quickly and easily.

in tow being towed [by someone];
closely following; under someone’s
control.
in transit while in the process of
being transported.
in trouble in danger; at risk.
in tune and out of tune in or out
of a state where musical notes are
at their proper intervals so that
none are flat or sharp.
in two shakes of a lamb’s tail in
a very short time; very quickly.
in unison [ "ju n@ s@n] 1. acting
as one; together and at the same
time.
2. [of musical notes, instru-
ments, or voices] having the same
pitch.
in vain futile(ly); without having
the result one wanted.
inaccurate [In "Ak j@ rIt] adj. not
accurate; incorrect. (Adv: inaccu-
rately.)
inactive [In "Ak tIv] 1. adj. not
active; not moving. (Adv: inac-
tively.)
2. adj. [of someone] not or
no longer working actively or
being actively involved. (Adv:
inactively.)

3. adj. having no
effect; [of a chemical] not react-
ing. (Adv: inactively.)
inadequate [In "Ad @ kwIt] adj. not
adequate; not enough; not good
enough. (Adv: inadequately.)
incarcerate
someone
in
something
to imprison someone in some-
thing.
inch ["IntS] 1. n. a unit of measure-
ment of distance, equal to ¹⁄₁₂ of a
foot or approximately 2.54 cen-
timeters.
2. iv. to move very
slowly; to move a distance equal to
Q at a time.
→
every inch a
something
→ every inch the
something
→ within an inch of
one’s
life
inch by inch one inch at a time;
little by little.
incline 1. ["In klaIn] n. a slant; a

slope; a surface that is on an angle
to flat ground.
2. [In "klaIn] iv. to
slant; to slope.
incline toward
someone or some-
thing
1. to lean or slant toward
someone or something.
2. to favor
or “lean” toward choosing some-
one or something.
in the wind
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inclined to
do something
to tend to
do something; to “lean” toward
doing something.
include [In "klud] 1. tv. [for some-
thing] to contain something or to
have something among its parts.
2. tv. [for someone] to cause
someone or something to be a part
of something; to add something to
something else.
include
someone

in (
something
) to
invite someone to participate in
something.
income ["In k@m] n. the amount of
money received as wages, interest,
or similar payments; money
received in exchange for goods or
services.
income tax ["In k@m tAks] n. a fed-
eral, state, or local tax on income
that has been earned.
incorporate
someone or something
in(to)
something
to plan to
include someone or something in
something; to combine someone
or something into something.
incorrect [In k@ "rEkt] adj. not cor-
rect; wrong; false. (Adv: incor-
rectly.)
increase 1. ["In kris] n. growth;
becoming larger. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. [In "kris]
iv. to become larger, faster, or
more powerful; to become larger

in number or amount.
3. [In "kris]
tv. to cause something to become
larger, faster, or more powerful; to
cause something to become larger
in number or amount.
incubator ["IN kj@ bet #] 1. n. a
container that keeps eggs warm
until they hatch.
2. n. a special
container or device in which
babies that are born too early are
kept for warmth and care.
indeed [In "did] 1. adv. very much
so; quite.
2. adv. in fact; actually.
3. interj. Amazing!
indent [In "dEnt] tv. [in writing or
typing] to begin a line a few spaces
farther from the edge or margin
than the other lines, as at the
beginning of a paragraph.
indentation [In dEn "te S@n] 1. n. a
notch; a dent; a cut.
2. n. indenting
lines of type or writing. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
independence [In dI "pEn d@ns] n.
freedom from someone or some
government; liberty. (No plural.)

independent [In dI "pEn d@nt]
1. adj. not dependent on someone
or something; not controlled by
others; not ruled by other people
or countries. (Adv: independently.)
2. adj. not needing the support of
others; self-supporting. (Adv:
independently.)
3. adj. separate;
distinct from other things. (Adv:
independently.)
4. n. a politician or
a voter who does not belong to a
political party.
index ["In dEks] 1. n., irreg. an
alphabetical list of topics showing
where each topic can be found in
the main part of a book, report,
magazine, journal, etc. (Plural:
indexes or
indices.) 2. n., irreg. a
scale where prices or amounts of
certain things are compared with
the prices or amounts of those
same things at an earlier date.
3. tv. to locate important topics
and list them and their locations,
as in Q.
index
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indicate ["In d@ ket] 1. tv. to point
something out verbally; to state a
fact. (The object is a clause with
that U.) 2. tv. to make something
known; to draw someone’s atten-
tion to something. (The object can
be a clause with
that U.) 3. tv.
[for a meter, chart, signal] to show
specific information. (The object
can be a clause with
that U.)
indices ["In dI siz] a plural of index.
indigestion [In d@ "dZEs tS@n] n. an
upset stomach; the digestion of
food that causes pain. (No plural.)
individual [In d@ "vI dZu @l] 1. n. a
person; one person.
2. adj. sepa-
rate; single. (Adv: individually.)
indoor ["In dor] adj. inside a build-
ing; kept within walls and under a
roof. (Prenominal only.)
indoors [In "dorz] adv. in or into a
building.
industry ["In d@ stri] 1. n. the pro-
duction of goods; the manufacture
of products. (No plural.)

2. n. the
business activity concerning a spe-
cific kind of product or service.
3. n. hard work or labor.
inedible [In "Ed @ b@l] adj. not able
to be eaten; not good for eating.
(Adv: inedibly.)
inf. an abbreviation of infinitive
form.
infant ["In f@nt] 1. n. a baby; a
young child.
2. the adj. use of Q.
infection [In "fEk S@n] 1. n. the
entrance and growth of disease-
producing organisms in the body.
(Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. n. a disease caused
by Q.
inferior [In "fIr i #] 1. adj. lower in
amount, rank, power, quality, or
strength than someone or some-
thing else. (Adv: inferiorly.)
2. n.
someone who has a lower-ranking
job than someone else.
inferno [In "f# no] 1. n. a large,
fierce fire. (Plural ends in -s.)
2. n.
a place that is very hot. (Figurative

on Q. Plural ends in -s.)
infinitive form [In "fIn @ tIv "form]
n. a form of a verb—preceded by
to—that does not show tense,
number, or person. (Abbreviated
inf. here. Can be shortened to
infinitive.)
inflammable [In "flAm @ b@l] adj.
able to catch fire;
flammable; not
fireproof. (The opposite is
non-
flammable
. Adv: inflammably. This
in shows emphasis, not negative-
ness.)
inflation [In "fle S@n] 1. n. the pro-
cess of putting air or gas into
something; blowing something up.
(No plural.)
2. n. an economic
condition in which too much
money is available for purchasing
too few goods. (No plural.)
influence ["In flu @ns] 1. n. the
power or ability to cause certain
results or to affect what happens.
(Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. n. a cause of some

behavior.
3. tv. to affect someone
or something.
→
under the influence of
something
influenza [In flu "En z@] n. the flu;
an easily spread sickness caused by
a virus. (No plural.)
informal [In "form @l] 1. adj. not
formal, official, or final. (Adv:
informally.)
2. adj. [of words, lan-
indicate
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guage, or speech] used every day
but a little more relaxed than more
formal speech. (Adv: informally.)
3. adj. [of dress] not formal;
casual. (Adv: informally.)
information [In f# "me S@n] n.
news; knowledge about some-
thing; facts. (No plural. Number is
expressed by piece(s) or bit(s) of
information.)
→ a
mine of information
ingredient [In "grid i @nt] n. some-

thing that is part of a mixture.
inhale [In "hel] 1. iv. to breathe in.
2. tv. to breathe something in.
inherit [In "hEr It] 1. tv. to receive
the assets of a person when the
person dies.
2. tv. to receive a
characteristic or feature from one’s
parents or ancestors.
inject [In "dZEkt] 1. tv. to put a liq-
uid into a living body through a
hollow needle.
2. tv. to introduce a
fluid into something under pres-
sure.
injection [In "dZEk S@n] n. injecting
something. (Plural only for types
and instances.)
injure ["In dZ#] tv. to harm some-
one or something; to damage
someone or something.
injury ["In dZ@ ri] n. physical or
mental damage or harm; a specific
instance of damage or harm.
→
add insult to injury
ink ["INk] 1. n. a colored liquid used
for writing or printing. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
2. n.

a liquid that is injected into the
water by an octopus—and by
some other sea animals—to con-
fuse pursuers. (No plural.)
→
in ink
inn ["In] n. a small hotel; a place
that offers rooms to rent for trav-
elers.
inner ["In #] adj. on the inside;
nearer to the center; further
inside.
inning ["In IN] n. [in baseball] a
period of playing time that ends
after the two teams have received
three outs each during their turns
batting.
innocent ["In @ s@nt] 1. adj. free
from guilt or sin; not guilty. (Adv:
innocently.)
2. adj. harmless; not
meant to cause harm. (Adv: inno-
cently.)
3. adj. too trusting; not
recognizing things that are evil;
inexperienced. (Adv: innocently.)
→
(as) innocent as a lamb
→ find
someone

innocent
→ play innocent
inoculate
someone
against
some-
thing
to immunize someone
against a disease.
input ["In pUt] 1. n. addition; the
act of putting something into
something. (No plural.)
2. n.
advice; opinions; ideas or sugges-
tions. (Informal. No plural.)
3. n.
information; data; information
that is put into a computer. (No
plural.)
4. n. an electronic signal
that is fed into a circuit.
5. tv.,
irreg. to put data into a computer.
(Past tense and past participle:
inputted or input.)
inquire [In "kwaI#] iv. to ask some-
one about something. (Also
spelled enquire.)
inquiry [In "kwaI# i] 1. n. a ques-
tion. (Also spelled enquiry.)

2. n.
inquiry
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an investigation; a search for
truth; a search for an answer.
the
ins and outs of
something
the
details of something. (Informal.)
insane [In "sen] 1. adj. crazy; not
sane. (Adv: insanely.)
2. adj. owing
to insanity; done because of insan-
ity. (Adv: insanely.)
3. adj. very
stupid; very foolish; very idiotic.
(Informal. Adv: insanely.)
insanity [In "sAn @ ti] n. the state or
condition of being insane. (No
plural.)
inscribe
something
on(to)
some-
thing
to write or engrave certain
information on something.

(Emphasis is on the message that
is inscribed.)
inscribe
something
with
something
to engrave something with a mes-
sage.
insect ["In sEkt] 1. n. a small crea-
ture with wings and six legs.
2. n.
a bug; any creature similar to Q.
inside
1.
["In "saId] n. the interior
of a building or an object; the part
of an object that is within some-
thing.
2. [In "saId, "In saId] adj.
interior; in, of, or about Q.
3. [In
"saId
] adv. in or into a room or
building; in or into an object.
4. [In "saId, "In saId] prep. within
a room or building; within an
object; within the interior; in an
interior position.
→
bottle

something
up (inside
(
someone
))
→ get the inside track
→ know
something
inside out
insight ["In saIt] 1. n. wisdom; the
ability to observe and identify
things that are important. (No
plural.)
2. n. a statement showing
that one has observed and identi-
fied something important.
insist (up)on
something
to demand
something.
inspect [In "spEkt] tv. to examine
someone or something carefully.
inspection [In "spEk S@n] n. study;
inspecting and reviewing. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
instance ["In st@ns] n. an example;
a case; an occurrence.
→
for instance
instant ["In st@nt] 1. n. one

moment in time; a very short
amount of time.
2. adj. immedi-
ate; without delay. (Adv: instantly.)
3. adj. [of food or drink] easily
and quickly prepared.
instead [In "stEd] adv. in place of
something; as another choice.
instead of
someone or something
in place of someone or something;
as a substitute for someone or
something.
instill
something
in(to)
something
to add something to a situation.
instinct ["In stINkt] n. an ability
someone or some creature is born
with to act or respond in a partic-
ular way.
institution [In stI "tu S@n] 1. n. an
organization that serves a special
purpose.
2. n. an established tra-
dition; a habit; a custom.
instruct [In "str^kt] tv. to teach
someone something; to educate
someone about something.

instruct
someone
to
do something
to order or request someone to do
something.
ins and outs of something
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instruction [In "str^k S@n] 1. n.
education; teaching. (No plural.)
2. n. an order or set of orders; a
direction or set of directions.
(Usually plural.)
instructor [In "str^k t#] n. a
teacher; someone who instructs
people about something.
instrument ["In str@ m@nt] 1. n. a
thing that is used to help someone
do something; a tool; a device.
2. n. something that shows a
measurement.
3. n. an object that
produces musical notes when
played.
insult [In "s^lt] 1. n. an offensive
remark; a rude statement that
offends someone.
2. tv. to offend

someone; to say something rude or
offensive to someone.
→
add insult to injury
→ hurl an insult (at
someone
)
insurance [In "S# @ns] 1. n. a con-
tract that pays a sum of money in
the case of a loss or injury. (No
plural. Number is expressed with
insurance policy or insurance poli-
cies
.) 2. n. something that protects
against a loss or an injury. (No
plural.)
3. n. the business of writ-
ing and selling Q. (No plural.)
4. the adj. use of Q, W, or E.
insurance policy [In "S# @ns "pal @
si
] n. the document or contract
that states the protections offered
by insurance.
insure [In "S#] 1. tv. to purchase
insurance for someone or some-
thing. (Compare this with
ensure.)
2. tv. [for an insurance company]
to sell insurance on someone or

something.
intelligence [In "tEl I dZ@ns] 1. n.
the level of someone’s ability to
learn and understand. (No plural.)
2. n. information about an enemy
and the enemy’s plans. (No plu-
ral.)
3. n. a department within a
military service that gathers W.
(No plural.)
intelligent [In "tEl @ dZ@nt] adj.
smart; able to learn and under-
stand things well. (Adv: intelli-
gently.)
intensity [In "tEn s@ ti] n. the
degree or amount of power or
strength. (Plural only for types
and instances.)
intent on
doing something
deter-
mined to do something.
intention [In "tEn S@n] n. a pur-
pose; a plan.
intercourse ["In t# kors] n. copu-
lation, usually human copulation.
(Short for
sexual intercourse.)
→
sexual intercourse

interest ["In tr@st] 1. n. the atten-
tion or concern shown toward
someone or something. (No plu-
ral.)
2. n. something that causes
Q; something that attracts one’s
curiosity or attention as in T.
3. n. the money—usually a per-
centage of the amount bor-
rowed—that a lender charges to
someone who borrows money.
(No plural.)
4. n. the money—
usually a percentage of the
amount held—that a bank or other
financial institution pays for hold-
ing someone’s money for a period
of time. (No plural.)
5. tv. to cap-
ture the attention or curiosity of
someone or something.
→
have a keen interest in
something
interest
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TLFeBOOK