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The first one is from this headline: "Obama, Clinton locked in 'Super Tuesday' feud".

Even though Super Tuesday has already past, it is still interesting to talk about what was going on between these two Democrat candidates.

We know that we lock a door, a closet, a drawer; we fasten it so other people cannot open it. But if I lock my purse in a drawer, I put it there and fasten the key so nobody can take it. In this meaning I can also say that I "lock it up" or "lock it away" in the drawer. 

"She locked the old photos of her ex-boyfriend up in a box in the attic." 

"The old photos of her ex-boyfriend were locked away in a box in the attic."

But neither Clinton nor Obama was locked in anywhere, but were locked in a fight. In this context of conflict, fight or argument, it tells us that Clinton and Obama are in a situation where both are trying hard to win and are both very strong.

"The Sea Shepherd, a marine conservation group, and Japanese whalers are locked in a conflict over whaling."

But when we talk about being locked in a place, a room or a building, the person is prevented from leaving that place by locking the door.

"Hearing that she could not attend the school party, the girl stormed off and locked herself in her bedroom."

This phrasal verb is made into a noun, "lock-in", used in informal situations to mean a situation when a pub locks its door and allows people to continue drinking after the time when it is allowed to operate; it is certainly an illegal act.

"Pat went to the pub just to have a drink, but there was a lock-in and did not come home until morning."

Have you ever been in Pat's situation and were locked out by your upset wife or husband? I hope not. But if you have been, maybe you could share your experience on how you managed to persuade your angry spouse to unlock the door and allow you in the house again.

"Poor Pat had to sleep in the garage because his wife locked him out."

In the same manner as lock-in, a noun, "lockout or lock-out", is used to describe a situation in which the management or boss of a factory or other workplace prevents the workers from entering their place of work until they agree to particular proposals or conditions.

"The conflict escalated because of the lock-out."

 

Complete the following sentences with the expressions explained:

1. Martin and Jane were … in a fight for the custody of their children.

2. When Jack reached home, he found his house ransacked and his maid … the bathroom.

3. The police in the city's entertainment district knew there were many … on Valentine's night but they didn't bother to take any action.

4. "Is your sofa available tonight?" - "Why? Has your wife … again or what?"

5. The … will only fuel the confrontation; why don't we get a third party to negotiate with the workers?

Answers:        1. locked, 2. locked in, 3. lock-ins, 4. locked you out, 5. lock-out

By Parnsap Yomanage