Idiom
Up in the air
If something is up in the air, it has not been decided yet and is still uncertain.
How people use it
People use it for plans, dates, decisions and outcomes that are unsettled: Our summer trip is still up in the air. It often comes with still, very much or a bit. The tone is informal to neutral. It suggests waiting for more information rather than a lack of effort. It does not mean something is high up or flying, though the image is related: a thing tossed into the air has not landed yet. All up in the air suggests that many things are unsettled at once.
Also said: all up in the air.
Examples
- Whether the picnic happens is still up in the air because of the forecast.
- Ben's job offer is up in the air until the company finishes its budget.
- With the bridge closed, our route home is a bit up in the air.
Where it comes from
The phrase probably comes from the simple picture of something thrown upward that has not come down yet, so no one knows where it will land. It became a common way to describe unsettled matters in the 1800s and 1900s.
Check yourself
1. If a concert date is up in the air, what does that mean?
Answer: It has not been decided. Up in the air means still uncertain or undecided.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Our moving date is up in the air until we sell the house.. The idiom describes an undecided plan, like a moving date.
Similar idioms
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