neighborhood

in the neighborhood

1. Close by in or near the same part of town; in the vicinity. A: "Oh, hi, Tom. What are you doing here?" B: "Well, I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by to say hello."

2. Approximately some amount; close to some amount. We're going to have to spend in the neighborhood of $20,000 for this renovation.

See also: neighborhood

in the neighborhood of (some amount)

Approximately some amount; close to some amount. We're going to have to spend in the neighborhood of $20,000 for this renovation.

See also: neighborhood, of

neighborhood play

In baseball, a play in which a fielder forces an out on a runner by simply getting close to ("in the neighborhood of") second base without actually touching it. Neighborhood plays would often happen to avoid a collision between the runner and the infielder, though they don't allow it anymore.

See also: neighborhood, play

there goes the neighborhood

cliché Said when something happens that one feels will be detrimental to one's neighborhood or community, usually some new family or group of people moving in. Though often used facetiously, the phrase likely arose out of, and may still reflect, prejudice against racial integration in predominantly white communities. A: "Bob! We're going to need to install some sound insulation in the walls—a bunch of college kids just moved in next door!" B: "Well, there goes the neighborhood!" A young Pakistani couple moved in a few houses down from us, and my racist uncle muttered under his breath, "There goes the neighborhood."

See also: goes, neighborhood, there

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

(somewhere) in the neighborhood of something

Fig. approximately a particular amount or measurement. I take somewhere in the neighborhood of ten pills a day for my various ailments. My rent is in the neighborhood of $700 per month.

See also: neighborhood, of

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

in the neighborhood of

Also, in the region of. Approximately, about, as in They paid in the neighborhood of a million dollars, or I don't know exactly what the exchange rate is-somewhere in the region of 95 yen to the dollar . The first expression dates from the mid-1800s, the variant from the mid-1900s.

See also: neighborhood, of

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.