shot in the dark
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a shot in the dark
1. A guess or estimate with very little or no assurance as to its accuracy. Well, this is just a shot in the dark, but I'm going to say that the answer to the question is 52. Hailey had absolutely no idea what the answer was for the last question on the exam, so she just took a shot in the dark and hoped for the best. OK, here's a shot in the dark—is the mystery guest Countess Constance Markievicz?
2. An attempt that is not expected to succeed or has very little chance of working. It was really just a shot in the dark when I tried to fix our washing machine, but I was actually able to get it working again on my first try! I had a great experience abroad, even if it was a bit of a shot in the dark taking a job in a different country. You need sound financial advice and a strong plan if you're going to start your own business—you can't just take a shot in the dark.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
shot in the dark
Fig. a very general attempt; a wild guess. It was just a shot in the dark. I had no idea I was exactly correct. Come on, try it. Even a shot in the dark may win.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
shot in the dark
A wild, unsubstantiated guess; also, an attempt that has little chance for success. For example, It was a shot in the dark, but the engineers had a hunch that replacing the valve would make the system work , or You can try looking for your key on the beach, but I think it's a shot in the dark. [Colloquial; late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a shot/stab in the ˈdark
a guess; something you do without knowing what the result will be: The figure he came up with was really just a shot in the dark.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
shot in the dark
n. a very general attempt; a wild guess. It was just a shot in the dark. I had no idea I was exactly correct.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
shot in the dark
Informal1. A guess.
2. An attempt that has little chance of succeeding.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
shot in the dark, a
A wild guess. Shooting without being able to see is taking a long shot, at best. The term has been around since the late nineteenth century. It is the title of a hilarious 1964 film starring Peter Sellers as a bumbling detective, Inspector Clouseau, who is convinced that a beautiful woman (played by Elke Sommer) is innocent of murder despite all evidence to the contrary. Graham Greene used the expression in The Third Man (1950): “It was a shot in the dark, but already he had this firm instinctive sense that there was something wrong.”
See also: shot
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer