Idiom idiom
mail it in
Meaning
To deliver a performance without commitment or effort, with lackluster results.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The team played poorly because they just mailed it in.”
“The actor clearly mailed it in during the final performance, showing no interest in the role.”
“Rather than engaging with the complex subject matter, the professor simply mailed it in, reciting outdated notes to a bored lecture hall.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026