out of the woods
out of the woods — idiom
1. no longer facing serious risk or hardship after a dangerous or difficult period;
no longer facing serious risk or hardship after a dangerous or difficult period; past the critical point where things could still get worse.
Anong was in hospital, but doctors say she is out of the woods now.
The company nearly went bankrupt, but now it is finally out of the woods.
We are not out of the woods yet — problems remain before the launch.
Lauren's business survived the crisis, but she is not out of the woods yet.
The floodwaters went down, but the village was not out of the woods yet.
- in the clear
less formal; focuses on being free from suspicion or blame rather than general danger.
- safe and sound
more emphatic about physical safety; used after a specific danger has passed.
- past the worst
focuses on the most difficult part being over, similar meaning but more literal.
- in deep trouble
highlights the opposite — still facing serious difficulty.
- in danger
more general; lacks the idiomatic flavour.
- up against it
informal idiom meaning facing a difficult situation, opposite of being past it.
用法筆記
Almost always used in the negative: "not out of the woods (yet)". The affirmative form ("out of the woods") usually appears after a negative clause has been resolved.