the check is in the mail

Also found in: Acronyms.

the check is in the mail

cliché Payment (whether or not in the form of a check) is en route or will be sent shortly. Often used as an excuse to avoid the pressure of creditors or someone expecting payment. Primarily heard in US. A: "Mr. Smith, your mortgage payment is now two months overdue." B: "The check's in the mail, I promise you!" A: "Can you lend me $40 until I get paid next week?" B: "Sure thing, the check's in the mail."

check is in the mail, the

A delaying tactic. Originally addressed to creditors to assure them their money was on the way, even if it was not, the term dates from the second half of the 1900s. Publishers Weekly (Jan. 31, 2005) used it in a headline for a piece about a wholesaler’s cash problems: “Is Baker & Taylor’s Check in the Mail?”