not out of the woods

not out of the woods
1. slightly better but not yet well.

The operation went fine, but she's not out of the woods yet – the next 24 hours will tell us whether or not she'll recover.

Usage notes: said about someone's health
2. improving but not yet good.

Our sales went up last month, but the company is not out of the woods yet.

Usage notes: said about financial problems and sometimes used in the form out of the woods - in good condition:

If we continue to watch our expenses, we should be out of the woods in a month.


New idioms dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • not out of the woods — not ˌout of the ˈwoods idiom (informal) not yet free from difficulties or problems • We re not out of the woods yet, you know. Main entry: ↑woodidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • not be out of the woods — (not) be out of the wood/woods to continue having difficulties although a situation has improved. Financially, things are looking distinctly more hopeful, but we re not out of the woods yet …   New idioms dictionary

  • not be out of the woods yet — informal phrase used for saying that a situation is still difficult although it has improved There has been a slight upturn in the economy, but we’re not out of the woods yet. Thesaurus: words used to describe difficult situationssynonym… …   Useful english dictionary

  • out of the woods — out of difficulty, not in danger any more    Pedro survived the heart surgery, but he s not out of the woods yet …   English idioms

  • not be out of the woods yet — informal used for saying that a situation is still difficult although it has improved There has been a slight upturn in the economy, but we re not out of the woods yet …   English dictionary

  • out of the woods — adjective Out of peril; likely to recover or prevail over trouble; finished with the worst or most threatening part of a problem or illness. The patient is feeling a little better, but shes not out of the woods yet …   Wiktionary

  • out of the woods —  No longer in danger.  ► “Still, convinced that it is not out of the woods yet, Aqualon recently turned to the The Manager’s Network to help it tackle new challenges.” (CIO, May 1995, p. 31) …   American business jargon

  • be out of the woods — (not) be out of the wood/woods to continue having difficulties although a situation has improved. Financially, things are looking distinctly more hopeful, but we re not out of the woods yet …   New idioms dictionary

  • Out of the woods — Out Out (out), adv. [OE. out, ut, oute, ute, AS. [=u]t, and [=u]te, [=u]tan, fr. [=u]t; akin to D. uit, OS. [=u]t, G. aus, OHG. [=u]z, Icel. [=u]t, Sw. ut, Dan. ud, Goth. ut, Skr. ud. [root]198. Cf. {About}, {But}, prep., {Carouse}, {Utter}, a.]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • crow before one is out of the woods — {v. phr.} To be glad or brag before you are safe from danger or trouble. Usually used in negative sentences, often as a proverb, Don t crow before you are out of the woods. * /John thought his team would win because the game was almost over, but… …   Dictionary of American idioms

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