pencil (one) in

pencil (one) in

To tentatively or temporarily schedule one for an appointment (that may or may not change). I need to have a date in the system, so I'll just pencil you in for the middle of July—just change it online once you've picked a date you're happy with. They penciled us in for 2 PM, so if we can't make it we have to let them know in advance.See also: pencil

pencil someone or something in

to write in something with a pencil. (Implies that the writing is not final.) This isn't a firm appointment yet, so I will just pencil it in. I penciled in a tentative answer.See also: pencil

pencil in

v.1. To write something in with a pencil: The assistant penciled in the editorial changes on the manuscript. After the teacher reviewed my test, I penciled the corrections in. 2. To schedule something tentatively: The secretary penciled in a staff meeting for 3:00. The band penciled a rehearsal in on Friday.3. To schedule a tentative appointment with someone: We penciled him in for lunch next Monday. The interviewers penciled in the applicant for the end of the week.See also: pencil