in the offing

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

in the offing

1. (literally, of a ship, landmass, etc.) Within the area of the sea known as the offing; at a considerable distance from land, but visible from shore, often in reference to an approaching ship.

   They could see that the ship was waiting in the offing.

   There were several small islands in the offing.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 3, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 15:

     Presently a rioting noise was heard without. Starting up, the landlord cried, "That's the Grampus's crew. I seed her reported in the offing this morning; a three years' voyage, and a full ship. Hurrah, boys; now we'll have the latest news from the Feegees."

   • 1900, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 3, page 252:

     If the ship that bore the sacred flame arrived too soon, it might not put in to shore, but had to cruise in the offing till the nine days were expired.

2. (figurative) Soon to come; likely to happen; in the foreseeable future; projected to occur; on the horizon; in the wind.

   Synonyms: imminent; see also Thesaurus:impending

   • 1850, Sylvester Breakmore Beckett, The Portland Reference Book and City Directory‎^[1]:

     We have known wives to forget that they had husbands, […] especially when they supposed that a tax bill or a notification to do military duty might be in the offing!

   • 1917 May, Florence Van Leer Earle Coates, “In the Offing”, in The Minaret:

     The Ship of the Spring in the offing at last! / Oh, rude blew the hindering gales, / But perfumes entrancing, the danger o'erpast, / Are wafted afar, from her sails!

   • 2014 August 8, Rupert Christiansen, “The truth about falsettos”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)‎^[2]:

     He [countertenor Anthony Roth Constanzo] also enjoys being the catalyst whereby opera fertilises other art forms: recently, he's collaborated with Japanese kabuki actors, and a project with dancers from New York City Ballet is in the offing.

   • 2019 November 3, Andrew Anthony, “David Mitchell: ‘I have no reason to have these apocalyptic musings’”, in The Observer‎^[3], →ISSN:

     He has a happy home life, two sitcoms on the go and a new book in the offing. So why is the comedian, actor and Observer columnist still so crotchety?

3. (idiomatic) At a distance, but visible.
   • 1919, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “Leave it to Jeeves”, in My Man Jeeves‎^[4], London: George Newnes:

     The moment I saw the man standing there, registering respectful attention, a weight seemed to roll off my mind. I felt like a lost child who spots his father in the offing. There was something about him that gave me confidence.