# come in from the cold

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/come-in-from-the-cold
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Of a spy: to return home after having gone undercover in enemy territory.

## Examples

- The agent finally came in from the cold after years abroad.
- After spending a decade working undercover in a hostile country, the spy was finally allowed to come in from the cold.
- The handler worried that the operative had stayed in the field too long and would struggle to adjust to normal life once she finally came in from the cold.
- The intelligence agency offered him a quiet retirement, provided he was ready to come in from the cold and leave his dangerous life behind.

## Origin

The term originates as a literal description of entering a warm building to escape low outdoor temperatures. Its idiomatic use was established by the 1963 publication of the novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by the British author John le Carré. Le Carré employed the phrase as a pun on the Cold War, the geopolitical backdrop of the narrative. Within the context of the novel and the era, the cold represented the isolation and exposure of life in the field, while coming in signified a return to the perceived safety of one's own borders or organization.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.