in for it
11
8.1
- idiom
- Informal
- When she accidentally broke the vase, she knew she was in for it with her mother.
- in for it now
- knew he was in for it
- in for it," she said
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeWe usually own the night, you know, that we we could be in for it, you know, for a while.
- We usually own the night, you know, that we we could be in for it, you know, for a while.
Examples
-
Gordon glanced at Anne with his warning look, the familiar one indicating they were in for it now.
Fiction book (1998) -
Now I'm in for it.
-
Now we're in for it.
-
As soon as she gave me her book, I was in for it.
Fiction book (1990) -
But we are in for it, and the only real question is whether we shall know it soon enough.
Academic text (1998) -
We're in for it, I'm afraid.
-
That's when I knew I was in for it.
Fiction book (2000) -
A terrible storm was moving in and we'd all be in for it by then.
-
If he hasn't got it right by morning, he'll be in for it from the chief warder.
Fiction book (2002) -
Marty knew he was in for it; the old man was plenty pious and didn't go for violations of the Sabbath.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
∞
2.9
In difficulty and likely to face bad results because of a mistake or bad situation
12
4.1
In trouble because you did something wrong
Antonyms
How Troubled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The combination 'in for' commonly signals that someone is about to receive or experience something (e.g. 'in for a surprise'), so part of the construction is compositional. However, the fixed phrase 'in for it' specifically means 'in trouble' with a vague 'it' referring to an unpleasant consequence, making the exact sense idiomatic and not fully predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
In for it comes from the image of someone stepping in to a place where trouble waits for them, like walking into a room and knowing they will be scolded. So, it now means 'facing an unpleasant situation or trouble', often because of something you did.