in the offing
8
5.6
- idiom
:
a la vista
- Many experts believe that a major scientific discovery is in the offing.
- changes are in the offing
- need to be in the offing
And now there is a book and A and ATV series in the offing.
- And now there is a book and A and ATV series in the offing.
- You, you may be having changes in your own parliamentary system in the offing.
Examples
-
An updated set of courses for students needs to be in the offing.
Academic text (1993) -
To date, there have been few, if any, indications that such a transformation is in the offing.
Academic text (2014) -
Great days were in the offing, and we would not be ready for them.
Fiction book (1993) -
We have talk of a Nobel Peace Prize in the offing.
-
And tonight is a big one indeed, with a title bout in the offing for the winner.
-
Input from all faculty members might well be in the offing for the committee report.
Academic text (2003) -
If the same is in the offing for robots, what can we expect?
Fiction book (2002) -
There's an adventure in the offing.
-
The U.S. European Command's responsibility extends to Africa, where enormous change is also in the offing.
Academic text (2003) -
The coveted title of fastest is still in the offing.
Synonyms
262
1.4
About to happen
168
4.8
Likely to happen very soon
55
4.0
Going to happen very soon, usually something bad
51
3.2
About to happen
43
4.2
Happening in the near future
4
2.3
Happening or likely to happen soon
Likely to happen very soon
Expected to happen soon
Antonyms
How Imminent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'offing' denotes the near future, so combining 'in' + 'the' + 'offing' yields 'in the near future' directly and follows a straightforward English 'in the [time/place]' compositional pattern. Although 'offing' is somewhat rare, a B1 learner who knows the constituent words and their relevant senses can readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The idiom in the offing comes from old sailors. The offing was the part of the sea a short way from the shore, so when a ship was in the offing it could be seen and would arrive soon, and that's why the phrase now means 'likely to happen very soon'.