Idiom
In the bag
If something is in the bag, its success or the result you want is certain, even before it is officially finished.
How people use it
People use it about games, deals, jobs or exams they are sure to win or pass (with a ten-point lead and two minutes left, the game is in the bag). It is informal and confident, sometimes too confident: saying it too early can sound like tempting fate. It usually follows is or have got (we've got this one in the bag). It does not refer to an actual bag.
Also said: have it in the bag.
Examples
- Our team is up by twenty points, so this game is in the bag.
- Omar thought the job was in the bag after his great interview.
- Don't celebrate yet; the contract isn't in the bag until both sides sign.
Where it comes from
No one knows for sure. The most likely source is hunting: once a shot bird or rabbit was in the game bag, it was truly yours. A popular American story claims a baseball team carried a bag of balls off the field when a win was certain, but there is little evidence for it. The phrase was common in American English by the 1920s.
Check yourself
1. If a coach says the win is in the bag, what does he mean?
Answer: The win is certain. In the bag means a success is as good as guaranteed.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: With only one judge left to score, Maya's first place was in the bag.. A nearly certain win fits. Having no idea is the opposite, and the snack sentence is literal.
Similar idioms
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