Meaning & use
in at the kill
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformalBritish
Present when something important ends or succeeds, especially to share in the credit or profit.
Grammar: Almost always used after 'be' with a person as the subject: He was in at the kill.
Patterns
- be in at the kill
- want to be in at the kill
The deal was done by her assistants, but the director made sure she was in at the kill.
He did none of the early work, yet he was in at the kill when the contract was signed.
Several investors wanted to be in at the kill once the company looked likely to succeed.
Common combinations
- be in at the kill
- When the prize was announced, every manager wanted to be in at the kill.
- in at the kill on a deal
- Our rivals were in at the kill on the merger.
- make sure you're in at the kill
- Do the groundwork early if you want to make sure you're in at the kill.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in on the act
- Informal and means joining an activity to get attention or benefit; it can apply at any stage, while in at the kill stresses being there at the final, decisive moment.
- share in the spoils
- Focuses on taking a share of the rewards, not on being present at the finish.
Commonly confused: in at the kill or in at the death?
in at the kill vs in at the death
This is a variant of the same hunting image and means the same thing, but it is much rarer and sounds old-fashioned.
Practice
What does 'in at the kill' most nearly mean?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means being there when something ends successfully, often to claim a share of the credit. It does not mean causing failure, and it is not about arriving late.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “in at the kill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.