The consistent use of an idiomatic expression is a tangible demonstration of the understanding of the communicative language of a society. According to experts, an idiom is considered to have been successfully adopted by someone after having been used in everyday conversations at least 5 times, and the importance of its adoption lies in the fact that every day they are more and more included in the real lexicon of most interlocutors, which makes it practically mandatory to insert them in a congruent way in our regular information exchange process. This is why there are popular phrases created to respond to almost any situation that may arise in the course of a person’s life.
A phrase widely used today is “Up in the air”, which is defined primarily as an expression referring to some situation that has not yet been resolved or decided. It is also widely used to indicate the absence of certainty regarding the realization of some plan.
To better understand this phrase we must simply think of all the times we make plans for almost any activity in our lives, especially when we want to travel, buy real estate, or a vehicle. But it also applies to simpler plans such as going to the dentist or having a drink with friends. These plans do not always come to fruition and for this reason, this popular expression fits like a glove. It is also appropriate to use this idiom when we are anxiously awaiting the answer or verdict related to a situation of our interest and that the coveted answer is delayed and does not end up arriving.
The Origin Of The Phrase “Up In The Air”
As mentioned above, the phrase “Up in the air” alludes to a situation or something in particular that has not yet been decided or resolved, to a process that has not yet concluded, to unknown events or events with a high content of uncertainty because other actions that are in progress must first be resolved, it is also used to indicate that someone is unsure or full of doubts, and in some cases, it can refer to someone who is very excited or excited, but this is one of its less frequent uses. It is a phrase that is considered colloquial in both British and American English.
The phrase “Up in the air” should not be confused with others that use some of the same words in their structure such as the phrase “Up in arms” which means to be angry or in rebellion, or the phrase “to throw one’s hands up in the air”, which means to give up by admitting that one cannot improve or correct a certain situation. Nor should it be confused with the phrase “put one’s hands up in the air” which means to dance and party and which has been a phrase popularized by several songs that included it in their lyrics.
This idiomatic expression is full of uses and anecdotes, but contrary to its communicational versatility, all the information related to its origin and birth is quite limited and unreliable, so the little information recorded about this idiom should be accepted as an interesting story that gives rise to multiple speculations. One of the information on the origin of “Up in the air” comes from the source The Free Dictionary, which states that the phrase “In the air” was first born in the mid-eighteenth century and then the word “Up” was added to it in the first half of the twentieth century. Another portal called Idioms Online states that the origin of this expression is completely unknown, however, according to the information they handle, they speculate that the figurative meaning that this phrase acquired comes from the tossing of a coin into the air, which when spinning randomly generated uncertainty among people, not knowing which of its two sides would be revealed when its movement stopped.
As an interesting anecdote, “Up in the air” is also the title of a 2009 movie directed by Jason Reitman and starring George Clooney. In this movie, the protagonist is a business executive who lives practically in the air on an airplane and at the same time, his own life is experiencing high doses of uncertainty and unexpected changes, which translates into a metaphorical representation quite close to the meaning and interpretation of this idiomatic expression.
What Words Could Be Synonyms For “Up In The Air”?
Understanding the meanings and contexts of the phrase “Up in the air” opens up a wide range of options for words that are synonyms of this phrase. Knowing the words that have a similar meaning to this expression represents a great help when we want to use them correctly in our daily conversations. The closest synonyms to this expression would be:
- Uncertain: not known or defined
- Undecided: not resolved or determined
- Indeterminate: not known or defined
- Provisional: something that is not fixed or permanent
- Insoluble: something that cannot be resolved
- Pending: awaiting a decision
- Doubtful: something that is full of uncertainty
- Changeable: something unstable or subject to change
- Tentative: something that is not firm or confirmed for execution
- Hesitant: someone who is hesitant
- Variable: something or someone that is changeable
- Insecure: someone lacking confidence or poise
- Ambiguous: a very changeable situation or person
How People Use The Phrase “Up In The Air”
Reviewing the different synonyms that apply to the expression “Up in the air” is of great help when it comes to understanding the wide variety of uses in everyday life that this phrase has. Its incorporation in the regular vocabulary is already something completely normal among people, being in some cases more used the colloquial phrase than the formal words that would perfectly express the same linguistic idea. Below we will review some of the uses that are given to this phrase today in a practical way.
- To express joy and euphoria
- To express suspense about the performance of some activity. To express ignorance in relation to some expected result
- To express uncertainty about the execution of some projects
- To indicate that some personal plan could be canceled
- To express frustration about situations that do not end up happening
- To express a plane crash
- To express actions that are on standby
- To make a comparison between two contrasting situations
- To express action of movement
- To express that someone has shaken other people with his or her words
- To indicate that something is solemn
- To indicate when someone has gone through a good run of success
- To compare times of success versus times of failure
- To express the action of raising one’s hands
- To express figuratively when a situation or event boosts someone’s ego
- To indicate that someone has an arrogant attitude
- To indicate when someone is pointing in a particular direction
- To express that an action that had apparently been canceled is still likely to be performed
- To indicate that someone is in a place because of certain particular signals
- To indicate that there is a likelihood of fire or fire in a house or building
- To give information in an ambiguous way by not wanting to take a specific stance
- To comment on the work agendas of politicians, artists or sportsmen, and women
- To express astonishment in surprising and unforeseen situations
- To express a state of significant discomfort
- To express emergencies at home
- To express when something has gone very wrong
- To indicate the way certain animals walk
- To say that someone’s temper has gone to his or her head
- To express the performance of some activity if an established condition is met first
- To indicate the notoriety of a situation
- To avoid making unwanted commitments
- To express good intentions towards another person
- To indicate an accidental situation
- To indicate the instructions of an exercise
- To express frustration in situations of professional stagnation
- To express goodwill towards someone
- To express fear or distress
- To express disappointment in delayed processes
Examples Of The Use Of The Phrase “Up In The Air” In Everyday Sentences
We have done a complete review of this popular idiomatic expression. It is easy to identify with a phrase that has such a wide scope in everyone’s life. It is just as useful in our jobs as it is in our personal lives, reflecting contemporary everyday life to perfection, so it only remains to review some concrete examples of the use of this utilitarian phrase.
- Thanks to the pandemic, all our expansion plans are up in the air
- I went to the university to check if they had already published the titles of the graduate theses, but they informed me that the decision was still up in the air
- Peter is almost certain that he would be the chosen candidate for management but was informed that the position was up in the air
English Idioms
Conclusion
Wanting something very much and not knowing if it will happen, waiting impatiently for some important decision without having any answer at all, making plans that you do not know if they can be fulfilled, indefinitely suspending projects with no definite restart date. All these varied and diverse situations and feelings are contained in the phrase “Up in the air” which is a solid demonstration of the value of this idiomatic expression for our society.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.