ins and outs

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plural noun

physical characteristics, as windings and turnings, nooks, or recesses: the ins and outs of a subterranean passage.

intricacies; particulars; peculiarities: the ins and outs of the tax laws.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of ins and outs

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby ins and outs

inrush, INS, in saecula saeculorum, insalivate, insalubrious, ins and outs, insane, insanitary, insanitation, insanity, insatiable

How to use ins and outs in a sentence

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
DeCrow would come to lead a movement against this practice, suing the Hotel Syracuse in 1969 and calling for protests and sit-ins.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Later that night, that same black-and-red banner would be seen again—in the column of marchers chanting for dead cops.
The Monsters Who Screamed for Dead Cops|Jacob Siegel|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She also practises etching, pen-and-ink drawing, as well as crayon and water-color sketching.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
No law of that country must exceed in words the number of letters in their alphabet, which consists only in two-and-twenty.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Mr. Spurrell came down to see a horse, and we shall be very glad to have the benefit of his opinion by-and-by.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
They were eaten too quickly, in long gulps of four-and-twenty hours at a time.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
He walked over to the table and mixed two tumblers of whiskey-and-soda, wondering why he had not thought of it before.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

Other Idioms and Phrases with ins and outs

ins and outs

The intricate details of a situation or process. For example, It takes a newcomer some time to learn the ins and outs of the legislative process, or David really knows the ins and outs of how this engine works. This usage alludes to the tortuous windings and turnings of a road or path. [Second half of 1600s]

Those with position and influence and those without, especially those in office versus those who are not, as in “Juan stood well both with Ins and Outs” (Byron, Don Juan, 1823). [Mid-1700s]

ins and outs

Origin of ins and outs

Words nearby ins and outs

Words related to ins and outs

How to use ins and outs in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with ins and outs