season

come in(to) heat and come in(to) season

[for a female animal] to enter into the breeding season. This animal will come into heat in the spring. When did your dog come in season?

See also: come, heat

come into season 

1. [for a game animal] to be subject to legal hunting. When do ducks come into season around here? Deer came into season just yesterday.

2. Go to come in(to) heat.

See also: come

in season 

1. [of a game animal] subject to legal hunting. You cannot shoot ducks. They are not in season.

2. [of a female animal] ready to breed; in estrus; in heat. The cat's in season again.

3. to be currently available for selling. (Some foods and other things are available only at certain seasons. *Typically: be ~; come [into] ~.) Oysters are available in season. Strawberries aren't in season in January.

off season

not in the busy time of the year. We don't have much to do off season. Things are very quiet around here off season.

open season (on someone)

Fig. a period of time when everyone is criticizing someone. (Based on open season (on some creature).) It seems as if it's always open season on politicians. At the news conference, it was open season on the mayor.

See also: open

out of season 

1. not now available for sale. Sorry, oysters are out of season. We don't have any. Watermelon is out of season in the winter.

2. Fig. not now legally able to be hunted or caught. Are salmon out of season? I caught a trout out of season and had to pay a fine.

See also: out

season something with something

to make something more flavorful with specific spices and herbs. I always season my stews with lots of freshly ground black pepper. The chili was seasoned with cumin and allspice, among other things.

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a man for all seasons  (slightly formal)

a man who is very successful in many different types of activity

Usage notes: This is the title of a play about Sir Thomas More.

He's chairman of a large chemicals company as well as a successful painter - really a man for all seasons.

See also: man

open season

a period of time when people criticize or unfairly treat a particular person or group of people (often + on ) With the publication of these two reports, it seems to be open season again on single mothers. Newspaper editors have declared open season on the royal family.

See also: open

the silly season  (British & Australian informal)

a period of time in the summer when there is not much news, especially political news, so the newspapers have articles about events that are not important It's the silly season again, and as usual, the papers are full of stories about the Loch Ness Monster.

See play silly buggers

See also: silly

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in season

1. available fresh locally Strawberries are in season here in May and June.

Usage notes: usually said about food

2. at the time of year when something is popular In season, the rooms with an ocean view are more than $300 a night.

3. at the time of year when hunting or fishing is legal Trout are now in season, which means the rivers are full of people fishing.

Opposite of: out of season

open season (on somebody/something)

a situation in which someone or something is criticized or treated unfairly City newspapers have declared open season on the mayor. She feels it's almost like someone has declared open season on anyone who looks like a foreigner.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of open season (the time of year when hunting is legal)

See also: open

out of season

1. not available fresh locally Asparagus is out of season now and really expensive.

2. at the time of year when something is not popular We like going to beach towns out of season.

3. at the time of year when hunting or fishing is not legal He got fined for killing a deer out of season.

Opposite of: in season

See also: out