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 286 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 286 TLFeBOOK 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 287 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 287 TLFeBOOK 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 288 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 288 TLFeBOOK 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 289 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 289 TLFeBOOK 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 290 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 290 TLFeBOOK 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 291 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 291 TLFeBOOK 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 292 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 292 TLFeBOOK 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 293 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 293 TLFeBOOK 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 294 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 294 TLFeBOOK 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 295 04 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 295 TLFeBOOK . 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. 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. 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