pen in

pen in (third-person singular simple present pens in, present participle penning in, simple past and past participle penned in)

1. To enclose (animals) in a pen.
   1. (figuratively, by extension) To cause to be stuck in a situation; to be forced into a situation by circumstances.
2. To schedule; fix a date for.
   • 2012, Robin Bielman, Worth the Risk, →ISBN:

     She wanted to say regardless of who got the contract, they should get out a calendar and pen it in.

   • 2012, Susan Downing, The Heart of Reiki, →ISBN, page 31:

     That's what I encourage you to do, too: pick a time with your partner that will generally work for both of you and pen it in to your calendars, bearing in mind that you will probably need to adjust it every now and then.

   • 2013, Tammy Lynn Robinson, Thoughts of the Heart: POEMS, PRAYERS AND PASSIONS, →ISBN, page 22:

     So check this out, take out your planner, pen it in, and pass it on!

   • 2013, Molly A. McCarthy, The Accidental Diarist: A History of the Daily Planner in America, →ISBN:

     In fact, Peters had to pen in the date himself to mark the visit to the murderous mother in the hospital since he misentered it under March 16 instead of the fourteenth.

• pencil in