Question

In the Bag certain of success; fixed

Accepted Answer

The quarterback thinks that the state championship is in the bag. In the 1600s hunters used to stuff the small birds and animals they had shot into their game bags. A successful hunter had his catch "in the bag." Also, in cockfighting, the game birds were transported to the battle scene in bags. An owner, confident of his bird, would say that victory was "in the bag." By the first half of the 20th century this expression had come to mean a "sure win."

Idiom	In the Bag
Example	The quarterback thinks that the state championship is in the bag.
Meaning	certain of success; fixed
Origin	In the 1600s hunters used to stuff the small birds and animals they had shot into their game bags. A successful hunter had his catch "in the bag." Also, in cockfighting, the game birds were transported to the battle scene in bags. An owner, confident of his bird, would say that victory was "in the bag." By the first half of the 20th century this expression had come to mean a "sure win."

Bag Birds Game Quarterback Thinks State Championship Success