# Forum Other Languages English for Russians - Изучаем английский язык Learn English - Грамматика, переводы, словарный запас  "home-free" - what does it mean??

## ostrov

The sentence is: "So, you are home-free." 
thank you.

----------


## kalinka_vinnie

In baseball, the fantastic american sport, when you complete a run your team earns a point and that player is home-free. That means he has done his job (for now), he earned his point. 
If you are home-free, it means you are done. You are off the hook, to use another colloquial term. Like you have a deadline and when you finish your work, you are home free! You can do what you want... 
kapish?

----------


## chaika

If you don't need a translation, just go online and look it up in a dictionary, such as dictionary.com. 
- home free : out of jeopardy : in a comfortable position with respect to some objective  	 
Out of jeopardy; assured of success: We had our hardest exams first and were home free after that.  
There is no hyphen in this phrase.

----------


## Rtyom

Grammatically, the hyphen must be there.

----------


## chaika

Rtyom, check all the dictionaries. You'll find there's no hyphen unless the phrase "home free" is an adjectival modifier. I can't think of an instance of that. 
When the bases are loaded and the batter hits a single or is walked, then the guy on third base is home free. 
That's where the phrase comes from, the good old American game of baseball.

----------


## Aaa

But a caveat:  do not use "home free" to refer to anything in baseball, even though that's where it came from.  That use is archaic.  Only use "home free" to describe a situation where you are finished or almost finished with a task, or where you are safe from something, such as a difficult journey.

----------


## Dillen

"Home Free" = (when you are close to completing something) you can finish what you are doing (whether it be a race/ an assignment/ a task, etc) without any worry or concern that something will happen to prevent you or hinder you from completion of that task/ job/ assignment, etc.

----------

