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Reader question: Please explain "mail it in" in this sentence, a comment on Michael Jordan: "Jordan played every game like it's his last. He always gave it his all. He was never one to mail it in." My comments: Michael Jordan, the basketball player, is arguably the best to have ever played the game. He always gave it his all, done his best, left everything on the floor. Jordan never took a day off, as they say. He never spared any effort. He never went through the motions. He never mailed it. To mail it in is literally to write a letter telling, say, your teacher or employer that you're sick and bedridden, that you're probably dying, that you, hence, cannot participate in the planned tree planting exercise, or the 10-kilometer run or any other such strenuous endeavor. Then you put the letter in an envelope and mail it in - saving yourself even a trip to inform your teacher or employer of your decision in person, face to face. By skipping the day and refusing to show up - let's face it, both you and probably the teacher or employer know that you're faking an illness, and not for the first time, either - you're allowing yourself to be a quitter. Well, I'm not mincing any words but I think you can understand. Anyways, metaphorically speaking, people who mail it in generally don't give any effort in what they do - that is, even if they do show up for work. They go through the motions, so to speak, run the floor (another basketball term), do the work without breaking a sweat or paying attention. | 
