'pencil in' definitions:

Definition of 'pencil in'

From: GCIDE
  • Pencil \Pen"cil\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penciledor Pencilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Penciling or Pencilling.] To write or mark with a pencil; to paint or to draw. --Cowper. [1913 Webster]
  • Where nature pencils butterflies on flowers. --Harte. [1913 Webster]
  • pencil in to write (a tentative appoinment) on an appointment calendar, so as to reserve time, but to allow the appointment to be readily canceled and replaced with another; -- also used figuratively, with other means of recording appointments. The notion being that something written in pencil can be more easily changed than something written in ink. The phrase is commonly used in the early stages of organizing a meeting of multiple persons, before it is known whether all attendees will be free at the suggested time. [PJC]