Where did chance would be a fine thing come from?
The expression emerged as street slang in the Victorian era and first made it into print in the 1870s. This piece is from a court case reported in the York Herald newspaper in January 1872.
What does as chance would have it meaning?
—used to say that something happened because of good or bad luck Our car broke down on the road, but as luck would have it, there was a garage nearby.
What does the term by chance mean?
accidentally
Casually, accidentally, as in I ran into Bill purely by chance. [c. 1300] Also see by coincidence.
What does it mean not by chance?
there is no possible way
Not a chance!: It won’t happen, there is no possible way. idiom.
Who said Chance would be a fine thing?
Goschen 2—but perhaps they were waiting for similar things, a £5,000 a year—the sooner they followed him the better they would be pleased. (A voice: “Chance is a fine thing.”) William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) was a British statesman. George Joachim Goschen (1831-1907) was a British statesman.
What with one thing and another meaning?
Definition of (what) with one thing and another informal. —used to say that one has been very busy doing or dealing with many things What with one thing and another, I haven’t had a chance to buy them a wedding gift.
What’s another way to say as luck would have it?
In this page you can discover 5 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for as-luck-would-have-it, like: fortuitously, luckily, unfortunately, fortunately and unluckily.
Is As luck would have it an idiom?
‘As luck would have it’ is an English idiom that refers to the role of chance, fate, or what we simply call ‘luck,’ in life. It has been around for a long time, long before the time that Shakespeare was writing, but it is in a Shakespeare play, The Merry Wives of Windsor, that it first appears in literature.
How do you use chance?
Example Sentences
- He told himself that it was by chance so as to bring peace to his mind.
- Our life gets better and better not by chance, but by working hard.
- Silla and Racheal met by chance in a shopping mall.
- She got into theater by chance.
- Our meeting in hotel was by chance I swear.
- I heard their secrets by chance.
What is the meaning of for one thing?
phrase. You can say for one thing when you are explaining a statement or answering a question, to suggest that you are not giving the whole explanation or answer, and that there are other points that you could add to it. She was an excellent colleague. For one thing, she was very reliable.
What is meaning of one thing led to another?
phrase. You say one thing led to another when you are explaining how something happened, but you do not really want to give the details or you think people will be able to imagine the details. He came by to see if she was lonely. One thing led to another and he stayed the night. See full dictionary entry for thing.
What does chance would be a fine thing?
—used to say that something good or desirable is not likely to happenThis candidate promises to solve all the country’s financial problems in six months. Chance would be a fine thing!
What does it mean if something would be a fine thing?
CHANCE WOULD BE A FINE THING | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary chance would be a fine thing meaning: 1. said when you would very much like something to happen but there is no possibility that it will…. Learn more.
What is the meaning of the word chance?
Definition of chance would be a fine thing. —used to say that something good or desirable is not likely to happen This candidate promises to solve all the country’s financial problems in six months.