Commonly used english part 42 pdf

411

in the wind

- soon to happen, being planned
It is in the wind that they are planning to open a new store next year.

in the works

- in preparation, being planned or worked on
Don`t worry about whether or not we will be building the new computer lab. It is
definitely in the works.

in the worst way

- very much
I would like to go to the new movie in the worst way.

in the wrong

- wrong, against justice/truth/fact
The driver was in the wrong and was arrested by the police after the accident.

in the wrong place at the wrong time

- something bad happens in a place or time where you happen to be
The man was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the car hit him.

in theory

- theoretically
In theory it is possible to make much money selling real estate but in practice it is
very difficult.







412

in this day and age

- presently, currently
In this day and age it is almost impossible to find a store that sells the old style of
cassette tape players.

in time

- early enough
I didn`t come home in time to meet my cousin.

in times past

- long ago, in previous times
In times past many people would attend the sports festival in the small town.

in top form

- in very good physical condition
The tennis star was in top form during the big tournament.

in touch

- talking or writing to each other, giving or getting news
We are still in touch even though we have been out of school for many years.

in tow

- being pulled
The truck had a trailer in tow when it went off the highway.

in tow

- being taken from place to place, going along with someone
She spent the morning at the shopping center with her child in tow.


413

in transit

- in the process of being transported
The cars were in transit when there was a train and truck accident.

in trouble

- in danger, in difficulty
The boy has been in trouble with the school all of this term.

in tune

- going well together, in agreement, matching
We have been in tune with each other ever since we met at our high school graduation
party.

in turn

- each following another
We went up to the front of the class in turn in order to pick up our diplomas.

in two shakes of a lamb`s tail

- quickly, in no time at all
"I will have this finished in two shakes of a lamb`s tail and then I will give it to you."

in unison

- acting as one, together and at the same time
The fans cried out in unison when the star player made a goal.

in vain

- without effect, without success
I tried in vain to find a good job but it was impossible.


414

in view of

- after thinking about, because of
In view of the large number of people who have come, I think that we will need a
bigger room.

in with

- in friendship/favor/closeness with someone
I think that he was in with the wrong group of people when he was in high school.

inch along

- move along slowly
The road was very bad this morning and the traffic was only inching along.

inch by inch

- little by little, one inch at a time
I checked the park inch by inch to try and find my watch.

inclined to (do something)

- tend toward doing something
Our boss is not inclined to let us take extra days off work during the busy summer
months.

incumbent upon (someone) to (do something)

- necessary for someone to do something

It is incumbent upon the next mayor to try and do something about crime in the city.







415

ins and outs of (something)

- all the details of something
He knows all the ins and outs of the new machine.

inside and out

- in every part, completely
We checked the room inside and out for my lost wallet.

inside out

- so that the inside is turned outside
She turned her purse inside out in order to look for her lost key.

inside track

- an advantage, shortest distance around a racetrack
I think that he has the inside track on getting the new job at the computer company.

instead of

- in place of
"Let`s meet at the restaurant instead of the department store as we had planned."

instrumental in (doing something)

- playing an important part in doing something
Our teacher was instrumental in getting the school to change their policy on using the
library after school.

intent on (doing something)

- determined to do something
I am intent on buying some new furniture when we move to a new house.


416

into being

- into existence
The new parking regulations came into being early last week.

into thin air

- completely, without anything left
The group of hikers vanished into thin air and were never heard of again.

invasion of (someone's) privacy

- intrude and cause someone to lose their privacy
It was an invasion of our privacy when the supervisor asked us to open the mail that
we received in the company.

invest (something) in (something)

- put one's time/effort/energy into doing something
I have been investing a lot of time into the project to raise money for the new
counseling center for young people.

iron out (something)

- work out something, solve a problem
We have ironed out all of our problems at work and are doing better now.

irons in the fire

- things one is doing, projects with which a person is busy
Recently he has too many irons in the fire. That is why he has become sick.







417

issue a call for (something)

- make a public invitation or request for something
The government issued a call for people to donate goods to help the hurricane victims.

itching palm

- a wish for money, greed
The guard at the hotel has an itching palm so be careful of him.





















418

J
a jack-of-all-trades

- a person who can do many things
We gave the man a job because we needed a jack-of-all-trades to look after the many
repairs.

jack up (something)

- raise prices, raise something with a lifting device
The gas station jacked up their prices during the snow storm.
We jacked up the car so we could change the tire.

jam on the brakes

- quickly put the brakes on in a car to stop
He jammed on the brakes and was able to avoid hitting the child.

jam-packed

- crowded, full
The train that we took this morning was jam-packed with people.

to jazz up (something)

- brighten up something, add more noise/movement/color to something
They jazzed up the community center for the party tonight.

Jekyll and Hyde

- someone with both an evil and a good personality
My co-worker is like Jekyll and Hyde. One minute he is very friendly but the next
minute he is angry.



419

jockey for position

- try to push one's way into an advantageous position
Several of the salesmen began to jockey for position when they learned that the
director of sales was leaving.

jog (someone's) memory

- stimulate someone's memory to recall something
The questions that the police officer asked helped to jog the man's memory.

John Doe

- a name used for an unknown/average person
The application forms use the name "John Doe" as the name of a person who is
applying for something.

John Henry/John Hancock

- one's signature
"Please sign your John Henry here and we will process your order right away."

Johnny-come-lately

- a new-comer
He`s a Johnny-come-lately and doesn`t really know what he is talking about.

Johnny-on-the-spot

- someone who is at the right place when needed or is right on time
He is always Johnny-on-the-spot. Just when we need him he arrives.







420

join forces (with someone)

- unite/join with someone
The two high schools joined forces to try and raise money for the city library
expansion.

join hands

- hold hands with other people
Everybody in the group joined hands at the end of the meeting.

Join the club!

- an expression used when the other person is in the same situation (usually bad) as
the speaker
"Join the club. None of us have enough money to go on a holiday."

join the fray

- join a fight or argument
I did not want to join the fray and argue with the other members of the group.

jolt to a stop

- stop moving suddenly which causes a jolt
The train jolted to a stop when the engineer put the brakes on.

judge (someone or something) on its own merits

- judge or evaluate someone or something on its own good points and achievements
Our company always judges each employee on his or her own merits.