from a mile away

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

from a mile away

1. (idiomatic) Well in advance.
   • 2007, Tony Moss, A Season in Purgatory: Villanova and Life in College Football's Lower Class, University of Nebraska Press, published 2007, →ISBN, page 38:

     When Talley met with his seniors privately after a practice in mid-August, he posed the question, “Are we going to have problems with any of the freshmen?” Almost in a chorus, the group had identified Antwon Young as the potential problem child, a situation that Talley had seen coming from a mile away.

   • 2009, Priscilla J. Dunstan, Child Sense: From Birth to Age 5, How to Use the 5 Senses to Make Sleeping, Eating, Dressing, and Other Everyday Activities Easier While Strengthening Your Bond With Your Child, Bantam Books, →ISBN, pages 90–91:

     For tactile kids I always suggest keeping nutritious snacks around — peanut butter, bananas, or carrots — so that their blood sugar doesn't drop too low, because if they get caught up in some kind of intense game or sport, they may forget to eat, and you'll want to have a quick antidote to the tantrum you can see coming from a mile away.

   • 2012, Ronald B. Scott, Mitt Romney: An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics‎^[1], Lyons Press, published 2012, →ISBN:

     “You could see the betrayal coming from a mile away,” said a Romney insider.