Certainty & Possibility - Luck & Chance

Dive into English idioms regarding luck and chance, like "catch a break" and "knock on wood".

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lucky Devil [noun]

used to describe a person who is considered lucky

Ex: She landed a job at her dream company without even trying ; she 's a real lucky Devil .

{one's} luck [is] in [sentence]

used to emphasize how lucky a person is or how successful they are

Ex:

story of {one's} life [phrase]

used to say that it is typical of a person to experience an unfortunate event

Ex: " I missed the bus again , story of my life , " he muttered , frustrated with his chronic tardiness .

just my luck [interjection]

used to say that one is used to something bad happening to one, due to having bad luck

Ex: She spilled coffee on her new white shirt just before an important meeting and exclaimed , " Well , just my luck ! "

knock on wood [interjection]

said after a positive statement to hypothetically assure the continuation of good luck

Ex: " I 've never missed a flight , knock on wood , " he exclaimed , rapping his knuckles on the door frame .

the luck of the draw [phrase]

something that solely depends on chance

Ex: We ca n't choose our roommates ; it 's all the luck of the draw in the dormitory .

to [take] pot luck [phrase]

to try to do or achieve something knowing that one might not succeed

Ex: We did n't plan our road trip 's stops ; we decided to take pot luck along the way .

to do something by solely relying on one's instincts, due to a lack of proper knowledge or experience

Ex: The entrepreneur had no business plan but managed to succeed by flying by the seat of his pants , making decisions on the go .

to [catch] a break [phrase]

to experience some luck

Ex: The team was losing the game , but they caught a break with a last-minute goal .

to [strike] gold [phrase]

to have great success with something, particularly something that brings one a lot of money

Ex: In the attic , he found an old painting that turned out to be a masterpiece , so he really struck gold .