mailed it in

Phoned it in

To mail it in is to perform a task with minimal effort, going through the motions without genuine engagement or care.

The phrase suggests someone doing just enough to technically complete something: The actor clearly mailed it in—you could tell he didn't want to be there.

Originally from sports commentary about athletes who seemed to phone in their performance, the expression now applies to any half-hearted effort at work, school, or creative endeavors.

Related

apathy · indifference · couldn't be bothered · mediocrity · disappointment · boredom · bare minimum · low effort · tokenism · complacency · coasting · laziness · cutting corners · perfunctory · procrastination · resignation · superficiality · underperformance

Opposites
effort and commitment

mailed it inwent all out

Exerted maximum effort

gave 110% · put in the work · went the extra mile · hustled · grinded

quality of execution

mailed it innailed it

Succeeded completely, emphatically

crushed it · raised the bar · overdelivered · hit it out of the park · set the standard

passion and engagement

mailed it infully committed

Family

mail, mailed, mailing, mails, mailer, mailman, mailbox

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Timeless · Abstract · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated G