What does ‘by’ mean in the following context. I took the following extract from answer.yahoo.com, on an attempt of defining the meaning of “time-sensitive”. One user defined it as following;
“It means that there is a given amount of time to have it in by.”
But I have trouble to understand the part which is labeled in bold.
The meaning becomes clear if the sentence is re-written so that the preposition goes at the beginning of the relative close:
It means that there is a given amount of time by which to have it in
The preposition by in this context means
not later than: be back by ten o'clock
The original sentence means
You must have it in by a given amount of time.
The phrase have [something] in by is common and often followed by a particular deadline.
Have it in by 3PM.
Have it in by the end of the week.
Because the definition you read was not setting a particular deadline, but referring to a more general given amount of time, using the phrase by a given amount of time would sound a bit awkward to most native speakers. By would more often be used for a fixed deadline, not a time span. Most native speakers would more likely say
It means that there is a given amount of time to get it in
or
It must be in within a given amount of time [which means it must be submitted within a given amount of time]
