in for an inch, in for a mile: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  chiefly USidiomaticinformalMachine
  • Given partial involvement or commitment, proceed to become fully involved or committed rather than stopping short.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Once you start fixing the wiring, you’re in for an inch, in for a mile—you might as well redo the whole system.

    Una vez que empiezas a arreglar el cableado, estás comprometido completamente, así que mejor rehacer todo el sistema.

  • He agreed to help with a small part of the project but soon realized that in for an inch, in for a mile applied and ended up managing the entire team.

    Aceptó ayudar con una pequeña parte del proyecto, pero pronto se dio cuenta de que, ya comprometido, terminó dirigiendo todo el equipo.

  • If you’ve committed to one chapter of the book, you might as well finish it; in for an inch, in for a mile.

    Si ya te comprometiste con un capítulo del libro, mejor termínalo; ya que estás comprometido, hazlo por completo.

• 2.

  chiefly USliteralneutralMachine
  • Having gone a short distance (an inch), continue to go a much longer distance (a mile).

  Examples

  Beta

  • We had only planned to walk a short distance, but in for an inch, in for a mile, so we completed the entire trail.

    Solo planeábamos caminar una corta distancia, pero ya que estábamos comprometidos, terminamos todo el sendero.

  • After driving a few miles, they decided to continue; in for an inch, in for a mile, the road trip was on.

    Después de conducir unas millas, decidieron continuar; ya que estaban comprometidos, el viaje por carretera continuó.

  • I meant to practice the song for just a minute, but in for an inch, in for a mile—I ended up rehearsing for an hour.

    Quise practicar la canción solo un minuto, pero ya que estaba comprometido, terminé ensayando durante una hora.