Twenty Five Idioms and Expressions about Chance, Luck, and Opportunity
One of the reasons English is so difficult to learn is because it is a language full of idioms. An idiom is a combination of words that has a figurative meaning separate from the actual definitions of the words used. There are an estimated 25,000 idioms in the English language. Today we’re going to look at twenty five idioms about keeping secrets.
- anyone’s call – a situation in which any result, outcome, or consequence might happen
- as luck would have it – an expression used to describe something useful that has happened by chance
- fat chance! – an expression used to describe something that one believes has little or no chance of happening
- the luck of the draw – an outcome based on chance that one doesn’t have control over
- more by accident than by design – due to luck rather than skill
- Murphy’s law – the imagined law of nature that anything that can go wrong will go wrong
- no such luck – an expression used to convey disappointment that something won’t or is unlikely to happen
- pot luck – a situation in which one has to take the chance that whatever is available will be acceptable
- rotten luck! – an expression used to commiserate
- that ship has sailed – that opportunity has passed
- to be sitting pretty – to be in an advantageous circumstance
- to get a free ride – to benefit from a situation without putting in any effort
- to get a second bite at the cherry – to get a second opportunity
- to have a vested interest – to have a personal reason (such as the opportunity for financial gain) for getting involved with something
- to have something drop/fall into one’s lap – to have something desirable happen/to acquire something desirable without putting in any effort
- to jump on the bandwagon – to join a growing movement just as it’s becoming fashionable
- to luck out – to be very lucky
- to make hay while the sun shines – to make the most of an opportunity while it lasts
- to play the waiting game – to wait before doing something in order to do it at the most opportune moment
- to push one’s luck – to take a risk in the hope that one will achieve success
- to strike gold – to achieve success
- to strike while the iron is hot – to make the most of an particular circumstance and use it to one’s advantage
- touch/knock on the wood! – a superstitious expression said to stop a confident statement from bringing bad luck
- to wait in the wings – to wait to do something at the appropriate time
- while the going is good/tough – when the conditions are good/bad
If you’ve found this post useful, why not check out our other articles on idioms?
Have a great week!
16 May 2016
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