in the hole
adj.— «Chef jargon—”in the hole”—they’ve eaten all the appetizers and they’re ready for main course.» —“jargon and newspeak” by Holly ABC Electric Journal Nov. 3, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...