to come in for the kill
- idiom
- Informal
:
ir a por la victoria
- After weeks of preparation, the strategist was ready to come in for the kill and finalize the deal.
Examples
-
She was coming in for the kill.
-
The left smelled blood in the water and came in for the kill.
Blog text (24) -
He's coming in for the kill.
-
The competitor saw an opening and decided to come in for the kill during the final moments of the match.
-
With only a few minutes left, the coach urged his team to come in for the kill and secure their victory.
Synonyms
548
1.0
To move or act quickly because a situation needs it
182
4.2
To make a sudden, planned attack on an enemy or target
96
4.9
Decide to do something after thinking about it for a while
26
7.0
Act aggressively to get what you want when you compete with others
5
6.4
Begin attacking or acting aggressively to gain an advantage
1
8.4
To become strongly involved in something and take control of it
Play aggressively to attack the other team rather than defend
Antonyms
How Decisive
31
2.5
- Informal
119
3.2
318
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts ('come' = approach, 'in' = toward/inside, 'for' = with purpose, 'kill' = to kill/finish) combine to a clear purposive motion — i.e., approach in order to finish off — so a learner who knows the constituents can plausibly infer a metaphorical sense of moving in to deliver a decisive, victory-securing action. However, the phrase relies on a hunting/violence metaphor used idiomatically in sports/strategy contexts (not literal killing), so the exact pragmatic nuance may not be fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase come in for the kill comes from hunting: a predator would come in quietly toward its prey to make the kill at the right moment. So today it means 'move forward to make a final, winning action'.