М-2

НА МАЗИ highly coll PrepP Invar subj-compl with бытье ( subj: abstr , usu. всё, дело)) in a favorable state, condition, close to completion or realization

X на мази - X is going smoothly (fine)

X is almost all set X looks like a sure thing X is practically in the bag.

Ипполит Матвеевич внимательно поглядел на перильца, за которыми стояла чета. «Рождение? Смерть?» -«Сочетаться», - повторил мужчина в пиджаке... Девица прыснула. Дело было на мази (Ильф и Петров 1). Ippo lit Matveyevich looked thoughtfully at the rail behind which the young couple were standing. "Birth? Death?" "Get married?" repeated the young man in the coat ...The girl gave a giggle. Things were going fine (1a).