The idiom "pencil something in" means to tentatively schedule or plan something, usually with the understanding that the plans may change. It comes from the idea of using a pencil to write something down on a calendar or schedule, which can be easily erased or changed if necessary.
For example, if someone asks you to meet for lunch next week, but you're not sure if you'll be available, you might say "Let me pencil it in and I'll let you know for sure later." This means that you'll write the lunch date down on your calendar, but you're not making a firm commitment yet.
Another example could be a manager telling an employee "I'll pencil you in for a meeting next week, but we may need to reschedule if something urgent comes up." This means that the manager is planning to have a meeting with the employee, but there's a possibility that it may need to be moved to a different time.
Overall, "pencil something in" is a useful phrase for expressing a tentative plan or schedule, while acknowledging that it may be subject to change.
• Let's pencil in a tentative deadline for the project and then finalize it later.
• The event coordinator will pencil in the details of the conference once all the speakers are confirmed.
• Can you pencil in our meeting for tomorrow at 10 am?
• I'm going to pencil in a few ideas for the article before I start writing.
• I will pencil in the date for the party on my calendar.
• My schedule is pretty tight, but I'll pencil in some time to take a break and relax.
• I don't want to commit to a full schedule, but I can pencil in a few meetings next week. (flexible planning)
• Can you pencil in the deadline for the project on your calendar? (formal request)
• I will pencil in our meeting for Monday at 3 pm. (basic scheduling)
• Let's pencil in a trip to the beach next month. (casual planning)
• We need to pencil in some time to discuss the budget for next year. (business planning)
• The conference organizers will pencil in your name as a keynote speaker for the event. (professional invitation)