Is there an opportunity that has arisen that you think someone should take? Perhaps there is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you don\u2019t want to pass you by. One phrase that will work well in these situations is \u201cin like Flynn\u201d. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n
The phrase in like Flynn means to take advantage of something good that has come along. It can also be used to explain someone that has become successful at a task, or in life in general. In many instances, the phrase specifically means to be a part of the in-crowd, or to get in with a certain group. <\/strong><\/p>\n One of the original meanings of the phrase in like Flynn was actually having great success sexually, and it is still used in the same way today. The phrase can also mean to be accepted by a set of people without question. Having a sure thing is also another meaning for the phrase.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are only so many spots left in this class, if you want to finish out this school year, you need to be in like Flynn and get on it\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the girls heard that Sephora was offering free full-size samples, they were in like Flynn to get theirs too\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI gave an amazing interview, I\u2019m sure that I\u2019m in like Flynn for the job\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you get used to the hours and the routine, you will be in like Flynn my friend\u201d.<\/p>\n The phrase \u201cin like Flynn\u201d was coined due to a real person. There is some contention about which \u201cFlynn\u201d triggered the creation of the idiom, which we will cover now. The most common belief is that the phrase was coined on behalf of Errol Flynn, who was an Australian actor. He was most known for taking on the roles of a playboy or a swashbuckler in Hollywood films. In real life, he was known to have many sexual partners and also to drink heavily. He was known for being well-loved and widely accepted, namely without doing anything to earn such acceptance.<\/p>\n The other claim to the phrase is thought that the idiom was created due to the infamous Edward J. \u201cBoss\u201d Flynn. He was a Democratic activist in the 1940s and was most known as Franklin Delano Roosevelt\u2019s campaign manager. He was able to help secure elections with seemingly little to no effort. Most people who hired him as a manager were considered to be \u201cin like Flynn\u201d.<\/p>\n A third, but less common source of the phrase is from a 1967 spoof movie. James Coburn used the expression saying \u201cIn Like Flint\u201d as opposed to \u201cin like Flynn\u201d.<\/p>\nExample Usage<\/h2>\n
Origin<\/h2>\n