Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“The whole season is to get ready for this point. It should be dialed in.”
- Basketball player Kobe Bryant on being ready for the playoffs and championship. (ESPN)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
perfectly tuned; optimized; well-coordinated; everything is in perfect condition
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
There are many variables in any project. A variable is something that changes. For instance, some variables for a basketball team are how much practice they’ve had, how well they’re shooting baskets and how good they are at defense. When all of these variables are going as well as they possibly can, the team is dialed in.
An interviewer asked Kobe Bryant if his team, the Lakers, plays harder in the playoffs (playoffs are the games in a tournament leading up to the championship) or improves their game at all from the regular season. But Kobe says that his team spends the whole season getting ready for the playoffs. By the time they get there, everything is dialed in.
This idiom comes from technology. Older technology like recording and communication equipment has lots of knobs you can twist to change settings. When all the settings are perfect and the machine is functioning well, it’s dialed in.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“As the race car pulled in for a pit stop, the crew had only a few seconds to get many different things dialed in.”
“Once I get these settings dialed in on the soundboard, we can start recording.”
“Why don’t you come in on Saturday and get everything dialed in for our big project next week?”