In the offing

In the offing means that something is imminent, about to happen or is on the horizon. It was originally a nautical term from the early 17th century and referred to that part of the sea that is visible from the shore beyond the anchoring or mooring grounds. Typically, if an observer was onshore waiting for a ship to arrive, the ship would first be spotted on the horizon. From there until it got very close in and anchored, the ship was said to be in the offing. The etymology is obscure but offing is thought to mean simply offshore. The expression only started to be used in a non-nautical, figurative sense during the 19th century.