IELTS Vocabulary Part – 135

In His Cups: Drunk.

Sentence – He called to apologize the following morning, claiming that he had been in his cups when he made those rude remarks.

In Hot Water: In need of help; in trouble.

Sentence – I was in a bit of hot water with Janice last night when she found out I went to the movies instead of cleaning out the garage.

In One Fell Swoop: All at once, in a single action.

Sentence – When the economy crashed, thousands lost their jobs, their homes, and their pensions in one fell swoop.

In One’s Element: In a situation which is entirely suitable, familiar, or enjoyable.

Sentence – My mother is in her element in the kitchen and can make just about any dish.

In Someone’s Wheelhouse: In someone’s strongest area of competence or enthusiasm.

Sentence – Jeff’s always stayed in his wheelhouse when it comes to dating women.

In Touch: In contact.

Sentence – Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

In the Blink of an Eye: Quickly, seemingly instantaneously.

Sentence – A full volley will rip through the toughest regiment causing immense casualties in the blink of an eye.

In the Cards: Likely; likely to occur.

Sentence – You are going to marry a tall and hansom guy. It’s in the cards.

In the Crosshairs (Cross Hairs): Targeted for blame or criticism.

Sentence – Suddenly under intense scrutiny and in the crosshairs of lawsuits, the directors may remember they have a legal duty to represent the interests of all shareholders.

In the Dark: Not informed.

Sentence – The new computer looked incongruous in the dark book-filled library.

In the Driver’s Seat: In a dominant position, in control.

Sentence – I’m in the driver’s seat now, and I get to decide who gets raises.

In the Hot Seat: Undergoing criticism or scrutiny; under pressure publicly.

Sentence – City player-manager Peter Reid, still a rookie in the hot seat, has done a fine job since replacing Howard Kendall.

In the Interim: It denotes a period of time between something that ended and something that happened afterwards.

Sentence – In the interim, authority members will take resolutions to their respective cities for approval of the dissolution agreement.

In the Limelight, In the Spotlight: Receiving large amounts of publicity or attention.

Sentence – Neither he nor Peter can conceal excitement at being back in the limelight again.

In the Long Run: Over an extended period of time.

Sentence – In the long run, it works out more expensive to rent a television than to buy one.

In the Nick of Time: Just in time; with no time to spare.

Sentence – In the nick of time, they discovered her in a state of hapless stage fright.

In the Pipeline: Being prepared for the marketplace, being worked on.

Sentence – Also in the pipeline are a couple of Service Quality Development videos on counter courtesy and telephone techniques.

In the Red: Losing money; (of a market index) below a specified starting point.

Sentence – Jack often runs his father’s company in the red.

In the Same Boat: In a similar situation; similarly vulnerable.

Sentence – She’s always complaining that she doesn’t have enough money, but we’re all in the same boat.

In the Works: Under development; coming soon.

Sentence – In the works is an Internet Cafe for the restaurant where computer terminals would link members to the Internet and e-mail.

Iron Out (Problems, Difficulties): To resolve.

Sentence – We’re still trying to iron out some problems with the computer system.