[in two]{adv. phr.} Into two parts or pieces; into two divisions.•/John and Mary pulled on the wishbone until it came in two./ •/There wasonly one piece of cake, but we cut it in two./ Syn.: IN HALF.

[in two shakes of a lamb’s tail]{adv.}, {informal} Quickly; in notime at all. •/I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail./

[in --- up to the] See: UP TO THE --- IN.

[in vain]{adv. phr.} 1. Without effect; without getting the desiredresult; without success. •/The drowning man called in vain for help./•/To cry over spilled milk is to cry in vain./ Compare: GO FOR NOTHING, NOUSE. 2. See: TAKE ONE’S NAME IN VAIN.

[in view]{adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. In sight; visible. •/We camearound a bend and there was the ocean in view./ 2. As a purpose, hope, orexpectation. •/John had his son’s education in view when he began to savemoney./ •/The end that we must keep always in view is peace withjustice./ Compare: EYE TO.

[in view of]{prep.} After thinking about; because of. •/Schools wereclosed for the day in view of the heavy snowstorm./ •/In view of risinglabor costs, many companies have turned to automation./ Syn.: IN THE LIGHTOF.

[in virtue of] See: BY VIRTUE OF.

[in wait] See: LIE IN WAIT.

[in with]{prep.} In friendship, favor, or closeness with; in the trustor liking of. •/We trusted on Byrd’s being in with the mayor, not knowingthat the mayor no longer liked him./ •/It took the new family some time toget in with their neighbors./

[I.O.U.]{adj. phr.} I owe you, abbreviated; a promissory note. •/Ihad to borrow some money from John and, in order to remind both of us, I wrotehim an I.O.U. note for $250./

[Irish] See: GET ONE’S DANDER UP or GET ONE’S IRISH UP.

[iron horse]{n.}, {informal} A railroad locomotive; the engine ofa railroad train. •/In its first days, the iron horse frightened many peopleas it roared across country scattering sparks./

[iron in the fire]{n. phr.} Something you are doing; one of theprojects with which a person is busy; job, •/John had a number of irons inthe fire, and he managed to keep all of them hot./ — Usually used in thephrase "too many irons in the fire". •/"Ed has a dozen things going all thetime, but none of them seem to work out." "No wonder. He has too many irons inthe fire."/

[iron out]{v.}, {informal} To discuss and reach an agreement about(a difference); find a solution for (a problem); remove (a difficulty). •/Thecompany and its workers ironed out their differences over hours and pay./•/The House and Senate ironed out the differences between their two differenttax bills./ Compare: MAKE UP(5).

[is] See: SUCH AS IT IS, THAT IS.

[island] See: SAFETY ISLAND.

[issue] See: AT ISSUE, TAKE ISSUE.

[is that so]{informal} 1. Oh, indeed? That’s interesting. — Used insimple acceptance or reply. •/"The Republicans have pulled a trick at cityhall." "Is that so?"/ 2. Surely not? — Used in disbelief or sarcasm.•/"The moon is made of green cheese." "Is that so?"/ •/"I’m going to takeyour girlfriend to the dance," said Bob. "Oh, is that so!" said Dick. "Try itand you’ll be sorry."/

[itching palm]{n.}, {slang} A wish for money; greed. •/He wasborn with an itching palm./ •/The bellboys in that hotel seem always tohave itching palms./

[I tell you] See: I’LL SAY.

[I tell you what] See: I’LL TELL YOU WHAT.

[item] See: COLLECTOR’S ITEM, CONSUMER ITEMS.

[it figures]{informal sentence} It checks out; it makes sense; it addsup. •/It figures that Bob got the highest raise at our firm; he is the mostproductive salesman./

[it is an ill wind that blows nobody good] No matter how bad a happeningis, someone can usually gain something from it. — A proverb. •/When Fred gothurt in the game John got a chance to play. It’s an ill wind that blows nobodygood./

[it never rains but it pours] One good thing or bad thing is often followedby others of the same kind. — A proverb, •/John got sick, then his brothersand sisters all got sick. It never rains but it pours./

[it’s a cinch]{informal sentence} It is very easy. •/"What about thefinal exam?" Fred asked. "It was a cinch" Sam answered./ Compare: PIECE OFCAKE.

[it’s a deal]{informal sentence} Consider it done; OK; it is agreed.•/"How much for this used car?" Bill asked. "Two thousand," the man answered."I’ll give $1,500," Bill said. "It’s a deal!" the owner answered as they sealedthe transaction./

[it’s been ---, it’s been real]{informal} Shortened form for "it hasbeen real nice (being with you)" — used colloquially between very closefriends.

[itself] See: END IN ITSELF.

[it’s high time]{informal sentence} It is overdue. •/It is high timefor John Browning to be promoted to full professor; he has written a great dealbut his books went unnoticed./

[Ivy League]{n.} A small group of the older and more famous easternU.S. colleges and universities. •/Several Ivy League teams play each otherregularly each year./ •/Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were the original IvyLeague./

J

[Jack] See: ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

[jack] See: EVERY LAST MAN also EVERY MAN JACK.

[jack of all trades]{n.}, {informal} (Often followed by the words"master of none.") A person who is knowledgeable in many areas. Can be used aspraise, or as a derogatory remark depending on the context and the intonation.•/Peter is a jack of all trades; he can survive anywhere!/ •/"How comeJoe did such a sloppy job?" Mary asked. "He’s a jack of all trades," Sallyanswered./

[jackpot] See: HIT THE JACKPOT.

[jack-rabbit start]{n.}, {informal} A very sudden start from astill position; a very fast start from a stop. •/Bob made a jack-rabbit startwhen the traffic light turned green./

[Jack Robinson] See: BEFORE ONE CAN SAY JACK ROBINSON.

[jack up]{v.} 1. To lift with a jack. •/The man jacked up his car tofit a flat tire./ 2. {informal} To make (a price) higher; raise. •/Justbefore Christmas, some stores jack up their prices./

[jailbait]{n.}, {slang} A girl below the legal age of consent forsex; one who tempts you to intimacy which is punishable by imprisonment.•/Stay away from Arabella, she is a jailbait./

[jailbird]{n.}, {informal} A convict; someone who is in jail orhas been recently released from prison. •/Because Harry was a jailbird, itwas understandably hard for him to find a job after being imprisoned./

[jake flake]{n.}, {slang} A boring person whose company is usuallynot wanted. •/Please don’t invite Turner, he is a jake flake./

[jar on]{v. phr.} To irritate. •/The constant construction noise wasbeginning to jar on the nerves of the members of the meeting./

[jaw] See: GLASS JAW.

[jawbreaker]{n.} 1. A large piece of hard candy or bubblegum.•/Billy asked his mother for a quarter to buy some jawbreakers and achocolate bar./ 2. [informal] A word or name that is hard to pronounce.•/His name, Nissequogue, is a real jawbreaker./