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Phrase: In the tank
Today I have yet another multi-use idiom for you.
In the tank can mean prices, such as for stocks or oil, are plummeting.
It can also mean to have something available for use, such as, “I still have twenty litres of gas in the tank.”
Finally, today’s idiom also means supporting someone or something.
As always, the meaning depends on the context of the sentence in which it is used.
You’ll often hear in the tank used in finance when prices are falling for commodities such as oil, soybeans or coffee.
It generally means that prices are falling rapidly, not just a little.
Whether that’s positive or negative depends on your point of view.
If you’re buying gasoline, falling oil prices are great because you will get more bang for your buck at the pump.
If you’re an oil producer, however, oil prices in the tank mean your profits are also dropping.
Next, today’s idiom in the tank means having something available for use.
At the end of the day, when you’re feeling exhausted and can barely keep your eyes open, you could say that you have very little energy in the tank.
Of course, it’s not meant to be taken literally, but you get the meaning.
Finally, today’s phrase’s least often used meaning is supporting or favouring someone or something.
I’ve rarely heard this one, and when I did hear it used, it concerned a political election.
Someone could say, for example, “I’m in the tank for John Davids,” meaning that they support him.
It’ll never happen in a real conversation, but here are all three nuances used in one sentence. Enjoy!
Even though support for John Davids is in the tank, I’m in the tank for him because I believe he still has a lot left in the tank.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 73.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.