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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 02-Sep-2007, 23:47
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Default Out of the woods

Do you use this expression only in reference to danger, sickness?
How about from too much work, is it applicable?
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Old 03-Sep-2007, 00:11
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Default Re: Out of the woods

"Out of the woods" >> to continue having difficulties although a situation has improved.

The financial situation is improving but we aren't out of the woods yet.

We are having problems with staffing and hope to have new recruits soon, but it is difficult to see when we will be out of the woods.

I do not think it is a phrase easily used in relation to too much work. How about you give us a sentence in which you think it might be used.
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Old 03-Sep-2007, 00:28
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Default Re: Out of the woods

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anglika View Post
"Out of the woods" >> to continue having difficulties although a situation has improved.

The financial situation is improving but we aren't out of the woods yet.

We are having problems with staffing and hope to have new recruits soon, but it is difficult to see when we will be out of the woods.

I do not think it is a phrase easily used in relation to too much work. How about you give us a sentence in which you think it might be used.
Out of the woods >> out of a dangerous, perplexing, or difficult situation(this I wonder if the three could be separated or is it an absolutely one whole definition of the given idiom)

* Even at weekend, I spent time doing such a tedious job at work but I´m out of the woods now.
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Old 03-Sep-2007, 03:03
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Default Re: Out of the woods

Quote:
Originally Posted by blouen View Post
Out of the woods >> out of a dangerous, perplexing, or difficult situation(this I wonder if the three could be separated or is it an absolutely one whole definition of the given idiom)

* Even at weekend, I spent time doing such a tedious job at work but I´m out of the woods now.
That might be possible, but I don't think so.

It is certainly common in medical contexts. Example:
Doctor to patient's family: She's not out of the woods yet, but it looks like she'll pull through.
It seems to be used mostly in the negative.

~R
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Old 03-Sep-2007, 03:26
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Default Re: Out of the woods

Okay, so I´d say that the full expression is: not out of the woods
And it´s commonly used in problems that are crucial and difficult to entangle. And also for medical situations.
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Old 03-Sep-2007, 15:03
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Default Re: Out of the woods

The Internet seems to agree with you (mostly).
Results 1 - 10 of about 33,000,000 for not out of the woods
not out of the woods - Google Search
Results 1 - 10 of about 2,630,000 for not out of the woods yet
not out of the woods yet - Google Search
out of the woods
Out of difficulties, danger or trouble, as in We're through the worst of the recession--we're out of the woods now, or That pneumonia was serious, but Charles is finally out of the woods. This expression, alluding to having been lost in a forest, dates from Roman times; it was first recorded in English in 1792. The British usage is out of the wood.
out of the woods: Information from Answers.com
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Old 03-Sep-2007, 20:53
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Default Re: Out of the woods

Most of the examples in the internet are business related usually saying they´re not out of the woods yet. And we see there also using I´m out of the woods now. Does this make my first sentence a legitimate example?

* Even at weekend, I spent time doing such a tedious job at work but I´m out of the woods now.
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Old 04-Sep-2007, 02:38
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Default Re: Out of the woods

Quote:
Originally Posted by blouen View Post
Most of the examples in the internet are business related usually saying they´re not out of the woods yet. And we see there also using I´m out of the woods now. Does this make my first sentence a legitimate example?

* Even at weekend, I spent time doing such a tedious job at work but I´m out of the woods now.
Yes, you can use that.
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