The idiom in the offing means likely to happen soon. It comes from a scarcely used sense of offing, a noun defined as the distant but visible area of the sea beyond the anchoring ground. So something in the offing is within sight but distant.
In the offing is sometimes used to mean in progress or planned. These are outside the idiom’s conventional meaning, but idioms’ meanings often expand.
Examples
These writers demonstrate the traditional usage in the offing:
And a San Antonio lawmaker warned that a lawsuit is in the offing after the House approved a Republican-drawn redistricting plan for the next decade. [Houston Chronicle]
Other companies have disclosed similar probes and experts believe more settlements are in the offing. [Sydney Morning Herald]
Frozen in place for decades, the Arab world is thawing, with big change in the offing. [Los Angeles Times]
Blackpool are one clear of the relegation zone, with a run of winnable home games in the offing for them … [Telgraph]
