come in from the cold—change one’s ways, practices, etc., so as to be accepted by others:
- Unless the union moderated its policies and came in from the cold, it would lose even more members.
Note: The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the phrase be out in the cold—(also: be in the cold) be destitute or abandoned:
- If you don’t save for your retirement, no one will do it for you and you will be out in the cold when old age hits.
come in out of the rain—(usually in the phrase “know enough to come in out of the rain”) show common sense:
- “Don’t you have the sense to come in out of the rain?” He pauses. “Obviously, this isn’t the safest neighborhood to be working in.”