in the offing

in the offing
Offing Off"ing ([o^]f"[i^]ng; 115), n. [From {Off}.] That part of the sea at a good distance from the shore, or where there is deep water and no need of a pilot; also, distance from the shore; as, the ship had ten miles offing; we saw a ship in the offing. [1913 Webster]

{in the offing} (a) coming; arriving in the foreseeable future. (b) visible but not nearby. [PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • in the offing — ON THE WAY, coming, (close) at hand, near, imminent, in prospect, on the horizon, in the wings, just around the corner, in the air, in the wind, brewing, upcoming, forthcoming; informal on the cards. → offing * * * in the offing 1. In sight or at …   Useful english dictionary

  • in the offing — adjective a) Within the area of the sea known as the offing; at a considerable distance from land, but visible from shore, often in reference to an approaching ship. They could see that the ship was waiting in the offing. b) Soon to come; likely… …   Wiktionary

  • in the offing —    If something is in the offing, it is very likely to happen soon.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    Something that is in the offing is likely to appear or happen soon.     Apparently a new law on minimum wages is in the offing …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • in the offing — Meaning Something likely to happen soon. Origin The offing is the part of the sea that is visible from land, i.e. the off land . Ships coming into the offing were about to land …   Meaning and origin of phrases

  • in the offing — possible or likely to happen soon. There are signs that a hot new design may be in the offing. I really thought a big promotion was in the offing …   New idioms dictionary

  • in the offing — If something is in the offing, it is very likely to happen soon …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • in the offing — ► in the offing likely to happen or appear soon. Main Entry: ↑offing …   English terms dictionary

  • in the offing — I knew that a significant change in my life was in the offing Syn: on the way, coming (soon), (close) at hand, near, imminent, in prospect, on the horizon, in the wings, just around the corner, in the air, in the wind, brewing, upcoming,… …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • in the offing — ready to happen, soon to be    A great event was in the offing: the discovery of penicillin …   English idioms

  • in the offing — index immediate (imminent), imminent, inevitable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”