In the least
Also, in the slightest. At all, in the smallest degree. These terms are nearly always used in a negative context. For example, I don’t care in the least what you do with the money, or It doesn’t matter in the slightest whether or not you attend. [ c. 1600 ]
They may also be put as not in the least or not in the slightest, as in I am not in the least worried about the outcome, or The heat doesn’t bother me in the slightest. In the least dates from about 1600; in the slightest has been used in the sense of “emphatically unimportant or trifling” since the late 1500s.
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- In the limelight
Also, in the spotlight . At the center of public attention or notoriety. For example, John loves being in the limelight , or The reporters made sure the attractive new actress would be in the spotlight . Both terms come from the theater and allude to focusing light on an important person, the first from […]
- In the lurch
see: leave someone in the lurch
- In the middle of
1. Also, in the midst of . During, while engaged in, as in He stopped him in the middle of his speech , or I’m in the midst of calculating my income tax . The first expression dates from about 1600, the second from about 1500. Also see in the midst 2. in the middle […]
- In the midst
1. Also, in one’s midst. Surrounded by, among, as in I saw a familiar face in the midst of the crowd, or To think there was a Nobel Prize winner in our midst! [ c. 1500s ] 2. See in the middle of , def. 1.
- In the mood
Disposed or inclined toward something, as in I’m in the mood for a good long walk. This phrase is also put in the negative, I’m not in the mood to argue. [ Late 1500s ]