in case of - in the case of

Idioms are fun, and powerful too. They’re the herbs and spices in the translator’s kitchen, and as anyone who likes to cook knows, judicious and appropriate use of a little seasoning in your food can elevate it from sublime to ridiculous. Errr, elevate it from good to great. That’s it.

 Today we have on our chopping boards two tasty, valid expressions that are being confused with each other. in case of is being used instead of in the case of. This is quite a common mistake and easy to make when you’re on a (cheese) roll. This is a classic example: Colonel Grzyborowska reported that the base was running short of ammunition, which would only last 4 days in case of the infantry, and 2 days in case of the artillery.

 So, definitions:
 in case of = in the event of something happening,
 in the case of = in the particular situation of,

 See how the article changes the meaning? 

 In case (of)
1a      In case of emergency, break glass with hammer and press alarm button.
2a      In case I’m late home tonight, dinner is in the oven. Just heat it up.
3a      Take your umbrella, just in case it rains.
4a      In case of a problem with the seating, there are 50 fold-up chairs in the room next door.

In the case of

1b      In the case of Collins Vs. Gabriel 1973, no distinct verdict was reached.
2b      Marek’s okay, he’s just quiet. In the case of Darek, however, I’d lock up the pills.
3b      In the case of financial discrimination against translators and proofreaders, a zero tolerance approach is called for.

Alternative phrasing for in the case of is to say in X’s case, e.g. In Darek’s case, I’d lock up the pills. Note too the useful in the event of, which is the nearly-twin brother of in case of, but which we can deploy when the scale of the situation becomes more epic. For example, In the event of a war, we expect our missiles to land first, or In the event of a zombie apocalypse, all our Shaun of the Dead fantasies will come true.

In any event (or at any rate), try to remember the distinction here – it seems like a subtle thing, but it makes a whole case-load of difference.