Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

come in from the cold

/ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkoʊ̯ld/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.94 in modern English

Syllables
come in from the -cold
IPA
/ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkoʊ̯ld/
32
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
2
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Of a spy: to return home after having gone undercover in enemy territory.

Intransitive verb

verb

To gain widespread acceptance in a group or society, especially where there was not any before.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Literally, the term refers to someone who is outdoors when the weather is cold coming indoors to a warm place. The idiomatic senses were popularized by the title of the novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963) by the British author John le Carré (1931–2020); “the Cold” is a pun on the Cold War, during which the novel is set.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkoʊ̯ld/
  • British English: /ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkəʊ̯ld/

Usage

Inflected Forms

comes in from the cold (present, singular) coming in from the cold (participle, present) came in from the cold (past) come in out of the cold (alternative)

Phrases

brought in from the cold leave someone out in the cold

Frequently Paired Words

brought in from the cold leave someone out in the cold

Questions

How do you pronounce come in from the cold?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkoʊ̯ld/.
What does come in from the cold mean?
Of a spy: to return home after having gone undercover in enemy territory.
Where does come in from the cold come from?
Literally, the term refers to someone who is outdoors when the weather is cold coming indoors to a warm place. The idiomatic senses were popularized by the title of the novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963) by the British author John le Carré (1931–2020); “the Cold” is a pun on the Cold War, during which the novel is set.

How to pronounce come in from the cold

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “come in from the cold”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkoʊ̯ld/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “come in from the cold”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “come in from the cold” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.