{"id":10331,"date":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10331"},"modified":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:18:53","slug":"up-in-the-air-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/up-in-the-air-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Up in the Air \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a casual way to tell someone that everything remains undecided? You could say that \u201cit\u2019s all up in the air<\/strong>.\u201d Dive into the meaning and origin of this interesting phrase in this post \u2014 and discover how to use it.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The English idiom \u201cup in the air<\/strong>\u201d means that something is still uncertain or undecided<\/u>.<\/p>\n

This can be positive or negative. \u201cUp in the air\u201d could mean that all your options are open, but it could also mean that you have no idea whether you will succeed in reaching your goals.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

Context often tells you more than a simple definition. These example sentences should give you a better idea about what \u201cup in the air\u201d means, and how to use the expression yourself:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cI put an offer in on that house, but everything is still up in the air<\/strong> right now.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cHis future is up in the air<\/strong> after that merger. He may lose his job, but he could also get a promotion.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cThe fate of the International Space Station is up in the air<\/strong> after Russia indicated it would pull out of the project.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Origin<\/h2>\n

    The idiom \u201cup and the air<\/strong>\u201d has emerged later than most commonly-used English idioms. Although nobody knows when the phrase first came into use, print references don\u2019t date back further than the 1920s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The phrase is most likely to refer to a coin toss<\/strong>. Coin tosses can help people decide between two options, depending on whether the coin lands tails-up or heads-up. The result remains, quite literally, \u201cup in the air\u201d until the coin lands.<\/u><\/p>\n

    The literary symbolism of air makes the expression even more exciting. Air is associated with freedom and opportunity, but also with indecisiveness and even mystery.<\/p>\n

    Just think of the idiom \u201chead in the clouds\u201d as an example \u2014 this refers to daydreaming, which may lead to opportunity, but also losing touch with reality. \u201cDown to earth\u201d is the opposite, and \u201cfeet on the ground\u201d is another expression that indicates a reality-based worldview.<\/p>\n

    Nothing is certain while the decision or fate you are talking about remains \u201cup in the air.\u201d Everything changes once the outcome becomes clear.<\/p>\n

    Phrases Similar to Up in the Air<\/h2>\n

    You can say \u201cuncertain,\u201d \u201cundecided,\u201d or \u201cunclear\u201d instead of \u201cup in the air.\u201d The following related idioms and phrases might also interest you:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • It could go either way<\/strong> \u2014 there are two possible outcomes and you don\u2019t know which one is more likely.<\/li>\n
    • On the fence<\/strong> \u2014 you have not made a decision or chosen a side.<\/li>\n
    • Sleep on it <\/strong>\u2014 in the face of uncertainty, you often gain more clarity after a good night\u2019s sleep.<\/li>\n
    • In two minds<\/strong> \u2014 if you\u2019re in two minds about something, you haven\u2019t decided which option to choose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Phrases Opposite to Up in the Air<\/h2>\n

      The opposite of something that\u2019s \u201cup in the air\u201d is something certain. You could say:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • As certain as death and taxes.<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Dead sure.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n

        The correct saying is \u201cup in the air.\u201d This idiom means that something is undecided or unclear. All options remain open.<\/p>\n

        Ways People May Say Up in the Air Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

        People often use the phrase \u201cup in the air\u201d when discussing situations that have suddenly become uncertain \u2014 like career prospects, business opportunities, or political decisions.<\/p>\n

        It is easy to get the impression that \u201cup in the air\u201d always has a negative meaning. It would be incorrect to assume that \u201cup in the air\u201d essentially means that everything is doomed, though! The expression simply indicates uncertainty.<\/p>\n

        Acceptable Ways to Say Up in the Air<\/h2>\n

        You can say that something is \u201cup in the air\u201d when the outcome is unclear. You could also invite someone to leave the decision \u201cup in the air\u201d until a future date, to show that you\u2019re not ready to make a definitive agreement ye<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Are you looking for a casual way to tell someone that everything remains undecided? You could say that \u201cit\u2019s all up in the air.\u201d Dive into the meaning and origin of this interesting phrase in this post \u2014 and discover how to use it. Meaning The English idiom \u201cup in the air\u201d means that something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10331"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10333,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10331\/revisions\/10333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}