A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase in the bag—(sl.) 
1
. as good as certain; virtually assured:
Winning this game is in the bag — we’re leading by five goals
to nil. 2. totally intoxicated: One look at Bill’s eyes was enough
to tell me he was in the bag. Cf.: half in the bag —(sl.) slightly
drunk: He had a shotgun next to the chair, and he was half
in the bag from booze. 3. (UK Army WWI, WWII) taken pris-
oner or killed in battle: Tell him if he tries to stick it out, he’ll
only end in the bag.
in the bottom of the barrel —(also: at the bottom of the barrel)
among the worst or the least desirable elements of a particular
group: Graduating in the 
1
5 percent of one’s class from a bot-
tom of the barrel school, still leaves you in the bottom of the
barrel.
in the box • in the ice box
in the box —(coll.) 
1
. in the jury box: By his country, repre-
sented by twelve men in a box, he will be tried. 2. in a refrig-
erator: “Beer’s in the box,” he pointed to the fridge in the
kitchen and jostled back toward the den. 3. live in extremely
confined, second-rate quarters: You live in a box down by the
river…. Is that how we’re supposed to live?
in the ice box —
1
. = in the box 2: He found a lot of food in
the icebox and had fixed a big salad. 2. (U.S. sl.) in a mortuary
(also: in cold storage): He’s got seven stiffs down there in the
icebox.
in the broad light of day • in the cold light of day
in the broad light of day —(also: in broad daylight) said of
smth. done openly in the daytime: They [actors] have shown
in service
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themselves to us without their make-up in the broad light of
day.
in the cold light of day —when one’s feelings of excitement,
anger, etc. are over and one is calm: In the cold light of day,
I regretted my hasty decision.