be brought in from the cold

be brought in from the cold

To be allowed to join or participate in a group from which one was previously excluded; to be accepted in a certain social setting. A relatively unknown director for most of her career, she was brought in from the cold after her work with the A-list celebrity garnered the attention of a major Hollywood studio. The striking workers were finally brought in from the cold after the union and corporate leaders settled the wage dispute.See also: brought, cold