luckn.
/lʌk/, U.S. /lək/ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > [noun]
renta1225
winningsc1380
profita1382
profity1432
revenue1433
fruitc1450
luck?a1475
improvement1478
apports1481
penny-rent1502
importance1505
filthy lucre1526
rentally1534
entrataa1538
a quick return1583
incoming1596
entratec1599
advenue1600
coming in1600
income1601
intrade1604
intrado1609
ingate1621
audit1625
increment1631
indraught1633
velvet1901
?a1475 Promptorium Parvulorum (Winch.) (1908) 271 Luk [1440 Harl. lukre], or wynnyng, lucrum.
2.
a. The chance occurrence of situations or events either favourable or unfavourable to a person's interests; the sum of chance events affecting (favourably or unfavourably) a person's interests or circumstances; a person's apparent tendency to have good or ill fortune.Frequently with preceding word specifying the type of luck, as bad luck, good luck, hard luck, ill luck, potluck, rotten luck, tough luck: see the first element.When preceded by an adjective, luck can be used in interjections expressing wishes for success or commiserations for misfortune (see, e.g., bad luck int., good luck int., tough luck at tough adj. 6d); see also (the) best of luck at Phrases 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [noun] > fortune or luck
sitheOE
hapc1275
fortunea1300
timingc1300
thriftc1305
speeda1325
casta1400
venturea1450
issuec1475
luck1481
success1548
speeding1573
chancing1583
potluck1592
ship1851
joss1913
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 15 Tho thought reynart, this is good luck [Du. ghelucke].
1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. xxvj For ye vengeaunce of God shall accompanie them..With all misfortune & evill lucke.
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. Cc.iiiiv And if to light on you my luck so good shall be, I shall be glad to fede on that that would haue fed on me.
1563 B. Googe Eglogs Epytaphes & Sonettes sig. C.vii Let vs here, what lucke you haue had in loue.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iii. ii. 92 I haue but leane lucke in the match. View more context for this quotation
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler ii. 60 Wel Scholer, you must indure worse luck sometime, or you will never make a good Angler. View more context for this quotation
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 18 Yes; Tom sings well; but his Luck's naught.
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest III. xiv. 24 I hope we shall have better luck this time.
1856 G. J. Whyte-Melville Kate Coventry xvii. 219 The Arch-croupier below, they say, arranges these matters for beginners; but the luck turns at last.
1882 ‘Ouida’ In Maremma I. ii. 41 He has got his deserts... Luck always changes.
1883 W. D. Howells Woman's Reason (new ed.) II. xx. 178 He bade him..get fire to light the beacon. Giffen refused. ‘No, sir; better not have any of my luck about it’.
1901 Athenæum 27 July 121/1 Our young friend enjoyed better luck than he deserved.
1946 Boys' Life Sept. 10/2 He cursed his luck steadily and volubly.
1982 J. Sullivan Only Fools & Horses (1999) I. 2nd Ser. Episode 3. 88 Listen Boycie, I'm telling you that my luck's changing.
2012 D. Park Light of Amsterdam vi. 111 By the very worst of luck he had found himself trapped between rabid sets of Rangers and Celtic supporters.
b. An instance of luck, esp. of a specified kind; an event or incident apparently brought about by chance. Now somewhat rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [noun] > fortune or luck > piece or run of luck
luck1530
trot1911
spin1919
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 580/2 I have a shreude chaunce or a shreude tourne, or I have an yvell lucke, il me meschiet.
1593 Queen Elizabeth I tr. Boethius De Consolatione Philosophiæ (P.R.O.: SP 12/289) iv. pr. vi. f. 65 Of the succession of Chaunce, of hapning Luckes.
1619 M. Drayton Barons Warres iv. xxxiv, in Poems (rev. ed.) 56 Those euill Lucks, in numbers many are, That to thy Foot-steps doe themselues apply.
1695 Dissuasive from Cursing 16 in R. Boyle Free Disc. Customary Swearing All these cross and happy Lucks at Play are not rashly or designedly shuffled by a blind Hazard, but are dispensed by an All-ruling Providence.
1844 J. C. Neal Peter Ploddy & Other Oddities 127 We esteem the lucks and chances of a man, much more than we reverence the man himself.
1897 Solicitor's Jrnl. 8 May 474/1 One of the lucks of war with which they had to contend or to which they had to submit.
1921 Spectator 24 Sept. 389/1 The love-affairs and hate-affairs, lucks and ill-lucks of those who live around us.
1978 L. Kramer Faggots 73 He went from mail room to board room in lickety-split time by a combination of charm, insolence.., and good lucks.
c. Chance, sometimes personified, considered as a force or agent bestowing success or failure.Recorded earliest in Lady Luck n. at lady n. Compounds 2d.See also dumb luck n. at dumb adj. and n. Additions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > [noun] > fortune or luck > as bestower of success or failure
lucka1535
a1535 T. More Dauy the Dycer in Wks. (1557) II. 1433 Long was I lady Lucke your seruing man.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 83 One refuge yet remaineth, that is patiently to suffer what so euer lucke allotteth.
1630 W. Davenant Cruell Brother i. i. sig. B2 Report is then become a Bawde to Luck; Whom Fortune doth enrich, Fame doth flatter.
1750 Country Jrnl. 14 July 2/1 We pursue them whilst the Luck is on our Side.
1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang Martingale, at play, to double stakes constantly, until luck taking one turn only, repays the adventurer all.
1881 W. A. Stearns & E. Coues New Eng. Bird Life 30 The search for birds'-nests is not so much a matter of luck or accident as some suppose it to be.
1899 A. Griffiths in Fortn. Rev. Feb. 307 Luck in the great game of war is undoubtedly lord of all.
1918 National Drug Clerk May 377/2 Character is the greatest force in the world, and character—not fate or luck—controls the destinies of men.
1955 Flying 46/1 Luck was on my side. I managed to stagger through a 180 degree turn and landed after a fashion.
2015 J. Carter Warriors on Horseback xv. 139 Yes, there is a skill to falling, but ultimately it comes down to luck whether and where an injury is sustained.
3. † c. With of. Good fortune in obtaining a specified thing. Obsolete. rare.
a. The chance occurrence of situations or events favourable to a person's interests; success, prosperity, or advantage apparently brought about by chance rather than through one's own actions or abilities; a person's apparent tendency to have good fortune; = good luck n. †to have no luck to: to be unfortunate in (obsolete).beginner's luck, no luck: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > [noun] > good fortune
hapc1225
whatec1330
fortune1390
felicity1393
good luck1481
lucka1500
Lady Lucka1535
happiness1540
goodhap1557
faustity1656
serendipity1754
kokum1851
bonanza1878
a1500 in F. J. Furnivall Polit., Relig., & Love Poems (1903) 66 Wher-for, [for] lucke and good hanssell, my hert y sende you.
1579 G. Gilpin tr. P. van Marnix van Sant Aldegonde Bee Hiue of Romishe Church Ep. Ded. sig. **6 I had superficially and lightly reade ouer the saide booke, (not hauing the lucke to kepe the same long by me).
1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 145 No man can have lucke alwayes at playe.
1600 T. Dekker Shomakers Holiday sig. E2 Old loue for me, I haue no lucke with new.
a1656 J. Hales Golden Remains (1673) i. 273 Onely Plutarch, what ever the matter is, has no luck to the Latine, and therefore I would advise you either to read him in French, or in English.
1661 R. Boyle Some Considerations Style Script. 36 A hint, which..I have since had the luck to improve sufficiently.
1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals iii. v. 53 An' we've any luck we shall see the Devon monkeyrony in all the print-shops in Bath!
1791 T. Holcroft School for Arrogance 102 Three hundreds have been lost, in piddling play. No luck for her!
1839 D. P. Thompson Green Mountain Boys iii. 45 But no luck with your rifle today?
1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. i. 40 Like most energetic natures, he had a strong faith in his luck.
1889 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 533/1 It is by sheer luck that I have lived for the last four years.
1920 P. G. Wodehouse Little Warrior iv. 69 Managers are just like sheep... While your luck lasts, you have to keep them off with a stick.
1966 E. Amadi Concubine xiii. 107 Any luck with your traps today?
2009 N.Y. Times 13 Dec. a31/1 He..tried to make a living as a freelance writer in London, without much luck.
b. An object or (occasionally) person on which the prosperity of a family or community is believed to depend. Now historical.The most famous object of this kind is the luck of Eden Hall, a 14th-cent. Middle Eastern glass cup owned by the Musgrave family of Eden Hall, Cumbria. Eden Hall has since been demolished and the cup is now in the possession of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > charm or amulet > for luck
luck1677
mascot1881
1677 Will of Sir Philip Musgrave (Cumbria County Archives, Carlisle) The Glass called ye Luck of Edenhall.
1729 Misc. Poems Several Hands 55 God prosper long from being broke, The Luck of Eden-Hall.
1842 Longfellow tr. J. L. Uhland Ballads (ed. 3) 49 The drinking glass of crystal tall; They call it The Luck of Edenhall.
1870 B. Harte Luck of Roaring Camp & Other Sketches 14 On long summer days The Luck [sc. a baby] was usually carried to the gulch, from whence the golden store of Roaring Camp was taken.
1901 E. F. Benson Luck of Vails ii. 23 Those of your house who have possessed the Luck always seemed to think that it brought them luck.
1971 K. Thomas Relig. & Decline of Magic xx. 624 In the seventeenth century, it was unlucky..to lose one of the heirlooms or ‘lucks’, upon whose safe transmission the welfare of various noble families was thought to depend.
1997 S. Bechtel & L. R. Stains Good Luck Bk. 258 Some ‘lucks’ are not as old or renowned as the family would have us believe, but others plainly date back to the late Middle Ages.
ΚΠ
1762 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting I. iv. 62 A man, whose luck of fame was derived from all the circumstances which he himself reckoned unfortunate.
d. Chiefly Scottish. An instance of good fortune; a fortunate event or incident brought about by chance. In later use also (as a mass noun or in plural): valuable or useful objects discarded in a dustbin, rubbish dump, etc.
ΚΠ
1831 A. Cunningham in A. Picken Club-bk. II. 182 What a luck that I didna gang awa to see my auld leal friend of Gripantauket!
1856 J. W. Carlyle Let. 19 Aug. in Coll. Lett. T. & J. W. Carlyle (2003) XXXI. 178 It was a luck for me yesterday..that I had these live things to look after.
1958 C. Hanley Dancing in Streets 43 We started raking the middens somewhere near Armadale Street, in Dennistoun... We didn't find any luck.
1993 M. Sinclair Soor Plooms & Candy Balls 5 Me an' ma big pal, lookin' fur lux roon' the middens.
2008 J. Kelman Kieron Smith, Boy (2009) 24 We looked for stuff that was good and we called it lucks. Oh did ye find any lucks?
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > an omen, sign, portent > [noun]
foretokenc888
tokeningc888
beaconc950
token971
handsela1200
boding1297
wonder1297
bodec1374
signa1387
foreboding1387
prenostica1393
prognosticc1425
prophetc1430
prognostication?a1439
ostentationa1450
prenostication?a1450
prodigy?a1450
augurationc1450
preparative1460
prenosticate?a1475
prenosticative?a1475
prodige1482
prenosticature1490
tokener1513
weird1513
show token1535
luck1538
prognosticate1541
preamble1548
proffer1548
presagition?c1550
foreshower1555
presage1560
portent1562
ostent1570
presagie1581
omen1582
presagement1586
luck sign1587
augury1588
prognosticon1588
forerunner1589
presager1591
halfner1594
spae1596
abode1598
oss1600
assign1601
augur1603
bodement1613
predictiona1616
prognosticala1618
bespeaker1624
portender1635
pre-indicant1659
foreshadow1834
boder1846
prognosticant1880
sky sign1880
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Omen, minis, lucke, also a worde or sentence sodaynly spoken, after the which some thing hapneth to folowe according thervnto, aboue the expectation of them which herde it.
c1560 J. Bellenden tr. Livy in First Five Bks. Rom. Hist. (1822) v. xxv. 479 The quhilk voice being herd abroad,..the senate did think the samin to be the luck and presage of sum thing to come.
1658 H. Edmundson Fellow-traveller through City & Countrey (new ed.) 119 That Omen or Luck is a word which signifies nothing.
Phrases
P1. In wishes and imprecations.See also note at sense 2a.
a. bad luck to ——: see bad luck n., adj., and int. Phrases 2.
b. (the) best of luck: expressing good wishes for the success of a person or venture.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > [interjection] > good luck
goder-heala1225
good luck1530
(the) best of luck1859
merde1961
1859 Racine (Wisconsin) Daily Jrnl. 28 Dec. 1/3 Here's the best of luck to a good fellow.
1881 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 775/1 Good-bye, Chloride—the best of luck!
1936 M. Lowry Let. Apr. in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 157 Congratulations again on the book—& best of luck in general.
1964 O. E. Middleton Walk on Beach 242 The best of luck to you, mate!
1978 T. Willis Buckingham Palace Connection ix. 179 Over the top and the best of luck.
1982 R. Reagan Let. 28 June in Dear Americans (2003) 68 Best of luck to you and hang in there.
2000 J. Goldman Dreamworld 44 They've eloped... Best of luck to them both.
c. the best of Arab (also Welsh, Scottish, etc.) luck: expressing good wishes for the success of a person or venture, usually with the ironic implication that good luck will not be forthcoming; cf. (the) best of British luck at British adj. and n. Phrases.
ΚΠ
1966 ‘S. Harvester’ Treacherous Road xix. 183 And the best of Arab luck to you, mate.
1969 ‘A. Garve’ Boomerang iii. 132 ‘Anything else?’ ‘I don't think so—Except to wish you the best of Welsh luck!’
1977 Punch 11 May 824/3 MacLaren of MacLaren..hopes to buy back some part of the land of his fathers in Perthshire; and the best of Scottish luck to him.
1985 New Scientist 29 Aug. 72/1 Well, the best of American luck, say I.
2012 Independent (Nexis) 21 Jan. 12 And the best of Welsh luck to well-travelled Coleman.
P2. In expressions responding to or anticipating good or bad fortune.
a. colloquial. (the) worse luck: unfortunately, regrettably; more's the pity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > unfortunately [phrase]
shame to saya1225
(the) worse luck1580
1580 G. Harvey in E. Spenser & G. Harvey Three Proper & Wittie Lett. 35 But what sayes Daphne? Non omni dormio, worse lucke.
a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) iv. sig. G2v The woorse lucke Iaques, but because I am thy friend I will aduise the somewhat towards the attainement of the gallowes.
1623 J. Webster Deuils Law-case ii. sig. E1v Pro. Hee's yet liuing. Rom. Liuing? the worse lucke.
1672 J. Lacy Dumb Lady iii. i. 30 Doct. Now woman what want you? Wife. That that no bodie can help me to, the worse luck, Sir.
1709 Mem. Signor Rozelli 267 I went up to his Chamber trembling, for fear he had miscarry'd in his Undertaking: But (the worse Luck for me) he had but too well succeeded.
1784 Greenwood Farm I. 5 Their father's dead, the worse luck for me.
1861 C. M. Yonge Young Step-mother xvii. 234 He..should see enough of him when Mr. Hope came, worse luck.
1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island iii. xv. 122 There are some of Flint's hands aboard; worse luck for the rest of us.
1902 A. E. W. Mason Four Feathers xxiii. 227 There are women..to whom the management of a big house, the season in London, the ordinary round of visits, are sufficient. I, worse luck, was not one of them.
1945 C. Isherwood Prater Violet 116 My directors are always resigning. All except the lousy ones, worse luck.
2014 S. May Wake up Happy Every Day xxii. 157 I haven't got a Sapphic bone in my body, worse luck.
b. more by luck than judgement (also design, management, etc.) and variants: used to express the opinion that a good outcome has arisen by chance rather than as a result of good planning, astuteness, etc. Also similarly more by good luck than (good) judgement and variants.
ΚΠ
1600 B. Jonson in R. Allott Englands Parnassus 225 So Fooles we see, Oft scape their Imputation, more through luck, then wit.
1663 H. Janson Philanax Anglicus 40 Is it not now a little wonderful, that they should become High and Mighty Lords by Law? I am sure it is more by luck than cunning, that they have made themselves so.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 248 More by good luck, than by good guiding. Spoken when a Thing, ill managed, falls out well.
1782 C. Lee Let. 22 June in Mem. Life C. Lee (1792) 436 Was it not for..a fortunate purchase I made, more by luck than cunning, I might have begged in the streets.
1838 Tait's Edinb. Mag. May 325/1 His grandfather, though more by good luck than good judgment certainly, sold the hunter for double the thirty pounds.
1866 Baily's Monthly Mag. Feb. 101 Some one said that the race was won more by luck than judgment.
1912 Paper Makers' Jrnl. Dec. 22/2 It was more by good luck than good planning That he became the boss of a mill.
1918 Nation (N.Y.) 7 Sept. 255/1 The West does better, but more by luck than management.
1971 Washington Post 24 Oct. f6/1 After 10 years of booming prosperity more by luck than design, Australia is facing economic trouble.
2010 Field Feb. 109/3 More by luck than judgment, I was in the right place when Charlie made his exit and I bowled him easily.
c. better luck next (also another) time: expressing the hope that a person who has failed in a contest or undertaking will be more successful in the future.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > encouragement > expression of encouragement [phrase]
better luck next (also another) time1756
1756 Prater 14 Aug. 137 Well, well, said he, better luck another time.
1832 P. Egan Bk. Sports 171/2 The conqueror, shaking hands with his fallen antagonist, wishes him better luck next time.
1855 F. W. Faber Growth in Holiness (ed. 2) xvi. 297 When we fall we must rise again, and go on our way, wishing ourselves..better luck another time.
1927 E. O'Neill Marco Millions i. iii. 45 Better luck next time. He'll learn!
1997 J. M. Landis et al. Heartbreak Ranch 18 The game, it is fini. Better luck another time.
2002 Electronic Gaming Monthly Feb. 28/3 Close, but no tamale. Better luck next time.
d. colloquial. no such luck: (expressing disappointment that something has not happened or is unlikely to happen) unfortunately not. Cf. no such good luck at good luck n., int., and adj. Phrases 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > improbability, unlikeliness > expressing improbability [phrase]
I'll (you'll, etc.) be lucky1762
no such luck1775
leave alone1838
I (you, etc.) should be so lucky1989
1775 R. Cumberland Choleric Man i. ii. 4 Dibble. Hav'n't earth'd old Surly-Boots yet? Gregory. Earth'd him! no such luck.
1875 Chem. News 3 Dec. 269/2 The above ‘sensational heading’ led one to hope..that some lucky fellow had indeed hit upon the one method for profitably extracting this important article from the atmosphere. But, alas! no such luck.
1892 R. L. Stevenson Let. 29 May (1911) IV. 63 All next day we hung round..hoping for the mail steamer with a menagerie on board. No such luck.
1938 G. Greene Brighton Rock iii. i. 99 ‘You ever come across this Kolley Kibber?’ she asked. ‘No such luck,’ the barman said.
1974 I. Murdoch Sacred & Profane Love Machine 75 If I went to Australia and was never heard of again. Thank you very much! No such luck!
2006 Independent 28 Dec. (Extra section) 7/1 ‘A circular letter from Cooper Brown! He must be in jail.’ No such luck, I'm afraid.
e. with (any, a little, a bit of) luck: if things go well, all being well; hopefully.
ΚΠ
1817 Ld. Byron Let. 24 Jan. (1976) V. 164 I think, with luck, he will turn out a useful member of society..and the College of Physicians.
1891 Cambr. Rev. 12 Mar. 267/2 The Association Sixes have at last reached the final round, which will, with any luck, be played this week.
1920 R. Scheer Germany's High Sea Fleet ix. 124 With luck we might even succeed in attacking the enemy advancing from the Hoofden on both sides.
1937 Night & Day 8 July 8/2 The men, with any luck, will refuse to discard their grey flannels for lederhosen.
1968 J. H. White Amer. Locomotives viii. 98/1 Small strips or rods that were piled, heated, and (with luck) rolled together into homogeneous plates.
1982 P. Redmond Brookside (Mersey TV transmission script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 2. 61 Who knows, with a bit of luck, they might even offer us an increase.
2007 G. Hurley One Under i. 11 With luck, a proper trawl would recover documentation and establish an ID.
f. just my luck: (expressing disappointment or pessimism) typical of my bad luck. Also just his luck, just our luck, etc. Cf. knowing my luck at Phrases 2h.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [phrase] > just my bad or good luck
just my luck1831
1831 L. E. Landon Romance & Reality I. xii. 102 If I were to turn undertaker, nobody would die, that I might'n't have the burying of them: it's just my luck always.
1909 J. Galsworthy Strife i. 195 Just our luck, the men finding a fanatical firebrand like Roberts for leader.
1928 E. O'Neill Strange Interlude viii. 274 The damned radio has to pick out this time to go dead!.. Just my luck!
1938 R. Finlayson Brown Man's Burden 60 Just my luck to be caught in a thunderstorm.
2002 D. Wittenborn Fierce People (2003) xii. 104 It would be just her luck to get pulled over on the New Jersey Turnpike.
g. you never know your luck: you cannot be sure that your luck will not improve; you may be lucky.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > in prosperous condition [phrase] > fortunately > you may be lucky
you never know your luck1895
1895 Life 21 Feb. 128 (caption) Riding Master: Wake that old thing up; you ain't going to a funeral! Pupil: Well—you never know your luck!
1898 J. D. Brayshaw Slum Silhouettes 29 Well, yer never know yer luck; an' his was 'ard enuff, Gawd knows.
1929 J. R. Fauset Plum Bun iii. 34 It looks as though there'd be plenty of chance for us. And anyway you never know your luck.
1967 ‘J. Ashford’ Forget what you Saw iii. 14 You never know your luck—one of these days we might actually set sail.
2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents 64 You never know your luck, you might cop off with somebody.
h. knowing my (also his, her, etc.) luck: used (often humorously) to express pessimism about the speaker's future; cf. just my luck at Phrases 2f.
ΚΠ
1935 Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Okla.) 28 June 6/3 Besides, knowing our luck as we do it would have been just our misfortune to have had Choatey escape from the backyard.
1972 Guardian 5 Aug. 9/2 ‘Knowing my luck,’ Lee said, ‘it would explode and kill somebody.’
1997 H. Nix in S. Hawthorne et al. Car Maintenance, Explosives & Love 327 You're not contemplating jumping? she asked... No... Knowing my luck I'd freeze to death before I drowned.
2006 J. London If You could read my Mind 17 Knowing my luck, I'll get pulled over and not have my license.
P3. In phrases describing how someone acts in relation to good or bad fortune.
a. to try one's luck: to do something that involves risk or luck, with the hope that one will succeed; to make an attempt at something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > try experiments or make experiment [verb (intransitive)] > try one's fortune
to try one's fortune1574
to try one's luck1589
to spouse one's fortune1821
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie (new ed.) ii. xi. sig. N*ij Hearing how diuers Gentlemen of her Court had essayed..to make some delectable transpose of her Maiesties name, I would needs try my luck.
1638 R. Mayeres Trav. 26 Many Gallants here to try their luck.
1675 W. Wycherley Country-wife v. i. 96 I must be impudent, and try my luck.
1717 Way of Town 34 If you'r dispos'd to try your Luck..You cannot do't in better Company.
?1772 Midnight Rambler 35 John..assured her he would try his luck; for d—m me, adds he, I know I am as good a seaman..as any he that ever stepped between stem and stern.
1829 Sporting Mag. Oct. 403/1 We resolved to try our luck in some of the deep, dark-sheltered pools.
1873 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Dec. 736/2 I will try my luck, by heavens! and if she accepts me, be happier than I ever was in my life.
1921 Sunset Mag. Feb. 43/3 She tried her luck in a remote Alaskan settlement.
2010 T. C. Hotka West of East Coast vii. 163 Think I might try my luck out in Hollywood.
b. Scottish. upon (also on) luck's head: on the chance that one will be successful or fortunate; by chance. Now rare (Shetland and Orkney in later use). Sc. National Dict. (at Luck) records this phrase as still in use in Shetland and Orkney in 1961.
ΚΠ
1637 S. Rutherford Let. 15 June in Joshua Redivivus (1664) 95 I would beleeve in the dark upon luck's head, & take my hazard of Christ's goodwill.
1679 J. Brown Life of Faith II. xvii. 240 Yea they dar adventure to take on Luck's head (as we say) and why may not the Lords people also rejoice on Lucks head, seing their King shall never be dethroned?
1741 Session Papers in Sc. Nat. Dict. (1965) VI. 35 [He] bid him go down Stairs and drink a Bottle of Ale upon Luck's Head.
1888 C. Mackay Dict. Lowland Sc. 255/2 Upon luck's head, by chance. ‘I got it on luck's head’, I got it by chance.
1932 A. Horsbøl tr. J. Jakobsen Etymol. Dict. Norn Lang. in Shetland II. at Lukk To geng upo lukks head, to go at haphazard.
c. for luck: in order to bring good luck. Cf. one for luck n. at Phrases 4d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > in prosperous condition [phrase] > fortunately > in order to bring good luck
for good hansel1607
for luck1756
1756 Prater 24 July 119 Parsons', Justices', and Farmers' Daughters in the Country, who, not finding a plentiful Crop of Admirers, gather midsummer roses, sow hemp seed, and eat dumb cake for luck.
a1797 H. Walpole Jrnl. Reign George III (1859) I. 7 Turned their coats inside outwards for luck.
1803 in Occas. Papers Univ. Sydney Austral. Lang. Res. Centre (1980) No. 18. 44 He..had ‘knocked him down and given him a topper for luck!’
1894 G. S. Layard Tennyson & Pre-Raphaelite Illustr. iv. 45 Oriana ties her kerchief round the wings of her lover's helmet, whilst he strings his bow for luck against her foot.
1954 V. Randolph Pissing in Snow (1976) xv. 26 He was one of these fellows that always wears a buckskin string round his waist for luck.
2013 S. Nicholls Close your Pretty Eyes 231 I kissed the front of the envelope, for luck, and I pushed it through the letter hole.
d. to push (also crowd, ride, etc.) one's luck: to take a risk on the assumption that one will continue to be successful or in favour; to rely on good luck. Cf. to push one's fortune at push v. Phrases 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > prosper or flourish [verb (intransitive)] > have good fortune > expect to receive even more good fortune
to push (also crowd, ride, etc.) one's luck1757
1757 tr. in London Chron. Nov. 508/3 As you know how to push your Luck, you shall break the Bank, and sweep off the young Gentleman's Money.
1768 J. Hall-Stevenson New Fable of Bees i, in Makarony Fables 38 The striker never leaves it short, Not only strikes, pushing his luck, But kicks the proudest of the court.
1868 Oriental Sporting Mag. 16 Mar. 193 I..now began to reflect inwardly on the power of luck, and how frequently I fancied I had not pressed my luck.
1887 R. C. Schenck in Standard Hoyle 125 ‘To push your luck’, as many Poker players understand it, is to come in with nothing, and trust to chance to improve.
1901 G. Ade 40 Mod. Fables 268 He crowded his Luck and Parleed his Bets. Things came his way.
1975 J. Symons Three Pipe Probl. xv. 131 You ain't going to find no killer... I reckon this is some amateur riding his luck.
1995 N. Hornby High Fidelity (1996) xvi. 200 ‘Your dad was nicer than you, though.’ ‘He was, wasn't he?’ ‘About five or six times as nice.’ ‘Don't push your luck.’ ‘Sorry.’
2012 D. Park Light of Amsterdam ii. 31 ‘You phoned her again? You're pushing your luck,’ Karen said.
e. U.S. slang (euphemistic and offensive). to change one's luck: (of a white man) to have sexual intercourse with a black woman, sometimes in the belief that this will bring good luck. Now historical and rare.
ΚΠ
1893 Town Topics 31 Aug. 14/2 Gamblers' superstitions are proverbial, but everybody here has been laughing this week at a well-known manufacturer..because he was discovered in his endeavor to change his luck. Next to touching a cripple's hump the luckiest thing, according to popular belief, is to hold a conversation with a colored woman.]
1916 H. N. Cary Slang of Venery I. 43 Changing One's Luck, to have carnal knowledge of a black woman. A superstition.
?1927–8 J. Fliesler Anecdota Americana 106 Eager to ‘change his luck’ a white man approached a negress. ‘Ah charges two dollars,’ said the black whore.
1941 H. A. Smith Low Man on Totem Pole xviii. 229 I walk up and say I wanna buy a red dress for a nigger lady. I suppose they all think I been out changin' my luck.
1961 C. Himes Pinktoes 59 Mamie's father..conceived her accidentally while changing his luck one day with the colored maid in the whorehouse.
2001 W. A. Kelly My Father was Bootlegger 203 The older guys in my neighborhood would say ‘I'm gone to change my luck’. This meant they were going to Chalfonte Alley to fuck a black girl.
P4. In noun phrases.† b.
a.
devil's luck n. (also more fully devil's own luck) uncannily good luck; (sometimes also) very bad luck.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > [noun] > good fortune > exceptionally
devil's luck1590
nigger luck1851
1590 R. Harvey Theol. Disc. Lamb of God 157 If the holy plaintifs might haue the diuels lucke, and by some sinister meanes obtaine their request.
1639 T. Bancroft Two Bks. Epigrammes & Epit. ii. sig. G4v The Devills child, the Devills lucke.
1743 J. Henley Why how now, Gossip Pope? (ed. 2) 3 That you who are so good a Believer should partake the Devil's Luck, who suffers Hell while he damns the World.
1789 G. Moultrie False & True i. iii. 10 l have had the devil's own luck in getting to this same Naples.
1843 Graham's Mag. Mar. 179/1 The fellow always had the eye of a hawk for a pretty wench, and the devil's own luck in winning them, too.
1884 D. Boucicault Shaughraun i. iv. 20 Well, as the divil's luck would have it, there was only..a tailor's thimble, an' they couldn't get it full.
1907 G. B. Shaw John Bull's Other Island iv. 82 He has the divil's own luck, that Englishman, annyway; for when they picked him up he hadnt a scratch on him.
2014 Liverpool Echo (Nexis) 17 May 26 Some bad people have had the Devil's own luck.
luck in a bag n. Obsolete (a) good luck; an unlikely or unexpected piece of good luck; (b) a bag containing a miscellaneous assortment of small prizes, from which players of a game at a fair, fête, etc., pay a small sum to pull a prize at random; cf. lucky bag n. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > [noun] > good fortune > piece of
opportunity?a1425
honeyfall1642
luck in a bag1649
hit1666
godsend1810
stroke of luck1853
bonanza1878
lucky break1889
break1911
a bit of fat1923
snip1932
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > lottery or raffle > [noun] > wheels, etc.
Ragman rollc1450
luck in a bag1649
wheel1698
lottery wheel1739
1649 P. Lightfoot Battell with Waspes Nest 405 It was luck in a bag then, that he that is so direct in all his gospel from end to end, as never to change one story out of its proper time and place, should do it here to serve Mr. Heming's turn so pat.
1673 F. Kirkman Unlucky Citizen xvi. 294 He had bought for five pounds a parcel of Diamons worth above 20000 l...here was luck in a Bag, if they could but keep it.
1701 Walk to Smith-field xx. 273 The spectators were shuffled together like little boxes in a sharper's Luck-in-a-bag.
1711 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 8 Sept. (1948) I. 354 You have luck indeed; and luck in a bag. What a Devil is that eight shilling tea-kettle copper, or tin japanned? It is like your Irish politeness, raffling for tea-kettles.
1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. iv. 75 Ye ken weel how to use that jilting quean, Dame Fortune... and that is what I ca' having luck in a bag.
1850 R. Hort Penelope Wedgebone i. 9 Mr. Wedgebone, having thrown his silk handkerchief over his head, filled his glass, and proposed, as the first toast—‘Luck in a bag, and shake it out when you want it.’
c.
run of luck n. originally Gambling a series of (esp. favourable) outcomes or occurrences attributed to luck or chance; (also) a series of occurrences or outcomes of a specified kind, as a run of good luck, a run of bad luck, etc.
ΚΠ
1722 Weekly Jrnl. 20 Jan. 984/1 Statesmen..have had such a Run of Luck in some Kingdoms, as now and then to strip a whole Nation.
1780 E. Beetham Moral Lect. on Heads 26 There is not so fluctuating a state of life as that of a man of play... Sometimes, elated with an amazing run of luck, he shines in all the gaiety of dress, and revels in all the luxuries of life.
1848 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Sept. 294/2 A space of nearly two years, during which time he had a most uninterrupted run of good luck.
1885 Amer. Machinist 25 Apr. 4/1 The curious run of bad luck that some locomotives have.
1901 G. Ade 40 Mod. Fables 156 Adams had a Run of Luck and he crowded it.
1953 A. L. Marriott Hell on Horses & Women ix. 110 They hit a run of hard luck, too, after they had been on the place a few years.
2005 Irish Times 2 Sept. a5/1 The company indicated that its poor run of luck continued during the summer.
d.
one for luck n. an extra or supplementary action, object, etc.; (sometimes) spec. a supplementary, superfluous, or final act of violence; cf. for luck at Phrases 3c.
ΚΠ
1812 Pancratia ii. 347 Crib smartly returned right and left on the head, and one for luck on the body.
1855 W. Hurton Doomed Ship xiv. 62 Jim drove his hatchet into the bear's skull, with the polite remark,—‘That's one for luck!’
1881 St. Nicholas Mag. Apr. 474/1 Patsy selected thirteen that he thought would do—‘a dozen, and one for luck.’
1914 Bookman June 425/2 He was planning to swat the ruler one for luck, and grab the army and the treasury.
1973 New Scientist 13 Dec. 799/3 He will have to sign six receipts: one for the headmaster, one for the district, one for the regency, one for the province, one for Jakarta, and one for luck.
2005 E. Morrison Last Bk. you Read 212 I light up, take a huge pull of the thing, hold it, then one for luck and hand it to her.
e.
seven years' bad luck n. (also seven years' ill luck) a period of bad luck superstitiously believed to be the consequence of breaking a mirror or (occasionally) of another action or incident.
ΚΠ
1813 Scourge July 461 Poor Caroline Cleopatra Constantia had had the misfortune to break a looking glass, which foreboded seven years ill-luck.
1882 Northwestern Miller 6 Jan. 485/3 Seven years' bad luck to smash a looking glass, you know.
1941 Pop. Sci. Jan. 120/2 (caption) Nobody can get seven years' bad luck by breaking the mirror below. It is made of sheet steel.
1983 J. Y. Glimm Flatlanders & Ridgerunners 151 If you kill kittens, you'll have seven years' bad luck.
2014 Sunday Independent (Nexis) 13 Apr. (Features section) 2 We should risk seven years bad luck and break all the mirrors in the house.
f.
luck of the draw n. the element of luck or chance governing the outcome of a lottery (lottery n. 2), esp. one relating to a sporting event; (hence) a matter of chance; an outcome which cannot be controlled or predicted.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [phrase] > luck of the draw
luck of the draw1886
1886 Manch. Guardian 1 Sept. 5/6 The luck of the draw reserved the chief excitement for to-morrow.
1912 E. Brentwood Hector Graeme i. 2 ‘Most provoking you should have the worst place for this drive, Mr. Graeme’..‘Don't you worry about that, Miss Caldwell..it's the luck of the draw.’
1956 Princeton Alumni Weekly 7 Dec. 13/2 A man is angry because he's been invited to a Seminar which turns out badly—the luck of the draw.
1973 ‘H. Howard’ Highway to Murder iii. 37 Some say first impressions are best. Mine have been wrong as often as they've been right, so I guess it's the luck of the draw.
2000 J. O'Farrell in N. Hornby Speaking with Angel 209 I suppose it's just the luck of the draw if your particular talent is in vogue during your lifetime.
P5. In phrases describing how lucky or unlucky someone is.
a. to have all the luck: to have more good fortune or success than is considered likely or fair. Often in some people have all the luck.
ΚΠ
1680 Politick Whore ii, in Muse New-Market 49 Mock. He'll go to hanging as soon. Sir. Cor. No, no; we loving souls have all the luck.
1778 F. Burney Evelina II. xv. 124 Loud laughs proceeded from every mouth, and two or three said, ‘Willoughby has all the luck!’
1866 Bentley's Misc. 1 Jan. 44 Hang it! those big fellows have all the luck; she's the prettiest woman I ever saw in this hole.
1896 Pick-me-up 23 May 118/1 Three brand-new babies in the house, and the happy father was thousands of miles away. Really, some men seem to have all the luck.
1947 ‘P. Wentworth’ Wicked Uncle ii. 11 ‘Some people have all the luck,’ said Miss Lane in a heartfelt manner.
1992 J. Critchley Floating Voter 74 A bloke had been given the job of presiding over England's most famous girls' school... Some people have all the luck.
2005 C. Burke Lee Miller i. i. 9 John..formed the opinion that girls had all the luck.
b.
(a) out of luck: having bad luck, or no longer having good luck; experiencing, or about to experience, misfortune.See also shit out of luck at shit n. and adj. Phrases 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > unfortunately [phrase] > suffering misfortune
out of luck1740
down on one's luck1823
he (also she, you, etc.) must have killed a Chinaman1885
shit out of luck1934
onto (also on to) plums1991
1740 C. Cibber Apol. Life C. Cibber xiii. 231 He had, lately, been out of Luck, in backing his old Master.
1788 J. Wolcot Sir J. Banks & Emperor of Morocco 20 Quite out of breath, and out of luck.
1867 F. Francis Bk. Angling vi. 203 Like a dissipated house-fly out of luck.
1919 Outing Mar. 317/1 If the flyer develops engine trouble over a mountain range or a dense forest, he's out of luck.
2002 Guardian 23 Nov. f12/3 Shareholders waiting for a rapid turnaround in performance have been out of luck.
(b) in luck: having good luck; enjoying, or about to enjoy, good fortune.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > in prosperous condition [phrase] > fortunately > in or with good luck
arse upwardsc1600
in luck1752
on the tinny luck1918
quids in1919
1752 H. Fielding Amelia III. ix. vii. 280 I won four Rubbers together last Night; and betted the Things, and won almost every Bet. I am in Luck.
1773 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 611 The rogue was in luck—a simple perforation, the surgeon called it.
1830 F. Marryat King's Own II. i. 5 ‘Sure your honour's in luck’..replied Barney, grinning, and backing out of the room.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. viii. 200 By Jove, Flashey, your young friend's in luck.
1900 J. Conrad Lord Jim xxvi. 279 I was in luck when I tumbled amongst them.
1939 G. S. Kaufman & C. C. Hart Man who came to Dinner ii. 133 We're in luck, Lorraine. You can get a plane out of Toledo at ten-three.
2008 New Yorker 17 Nov. 36/3 If your home decoration tastes run to..Scandinavian design, you're in luck.
c. down on one's luck and variants: having bad luck; experiencing (esp. financial) misfortune; (in early use) despondent because of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > unfortunately [phrase] > suffering misfortune
out of luck1740
down on one's luck1823
he (also she, you, etc.) must have killed a Chinaman1885
shit out of luck1934
onto (also on to) plums1991
1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 70 A man who is in the mumps by reason of his losses, is said to be down upon his luck.
1832 P. Egan Bk. Sports 143/1 Seeing me down on my luck they cry ‘blow me, We never again wish to look at his mug.’
1873 C. M. Davies Unorthodox London 351 A clever rogue momentarily down on his luck.
1884 A. Jessopp in 19th Cent. Mar. 402 Labour is scarce and he is down in his luck.
1926 Amer. Mercury Feb. 237/2 They are down in their luck if at least half of the cabbaged boodle doesn't find its way into their pockets.
1961 S. Dance in World Duke Ellington (1970) 249 A crude, proud little girl, kind of down on her luck.
2010 N.Y. Times 7 Sept. a12/1 Gathered around was a motley crew of people who were down on their luck.
d.
(a) one's luck is in: one is having good luck; one is enjoying, or about to enjoy, good fortune.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > in prosperous condition [phrase] > fortunately > one is experiencing good fortune
one's luck is in1846
Christmas comes early1919
all one's Christmases come at once1953
1846 Geelong Advertiser & Squatters' Advocate 14 Oct. 1/1 Mr Andrew Badgery, owner of Jorrocks, took the box—his ‘luck was in’, and he threw forty three!
1860 J. C. Stretton Mr. & Mrs. Asheton II. xvii. 208 Now that his luck was in, it would be folly not to take advantage thereof.
1873 W. S. Hayward Lord Scatterbrain (new ed.) xxxvi. 173 Then he proposed to increase the bets, and I, feeling that my luck was in, made no difficulty.
1912 ‘Saki’ Chron. Clovis 187 Her fellow-gamblers were always ready to entertain her..when their luck was in.
1963 A. Smith Throw out Two Hands vii. 79 If our luck was in we might hit Madagascar.
1999 T. Etchells Endland Stories 17 He found a beautiful woman asleep in a bed. Shane thought his luck was in.
(b) one's luck is out: one is having bad luck, or no longer having good luck; one is experiencing, or about to experience, misfortune.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > calamity or misfortune > unfortunately [phrase] > suffering misfortune > one's good fortune has finished
one's luck is out1867
1867 J. Greenwood Humphrey Dyot I. xii. 168 In whatever direction he turned, his luck was out.
1896 J. Boundelle-Burton In Day of Adversity xxxi. 268 No such chance, mon ami, our luck is out.
a1930 D. H. Lawrence Mod. Lover (1934) 234 Gilbert at her side took step after step, and thought to himself his luck was out as regards women.
2001 Guardian 28 July a18/5 Even when his luck was out, Gough showed bags of commitment.
P6. to be bad luck: see bad luck n., adj., and int. Phrases 1; to drink good luck: see good luck n., int., and adj. Phrases 1; to be good luck: see good luck n., int., and adj. Phrases 3; an ounce of good luck is worth a pound of wisdom: see good luck n., int., and adj. Phrases 4; as luck would have it: see have v. Phrases 1c; the luck of the Irish: see Irish adj. and n. Phrases; to run for luck: see run v. Phrases 3f; to strike a person luck: see strike v. 69b; stroke of luck: see stroke n.1 15b; on the tinny luck: see tinny adj. 4.
Compounds
luck money n. (in Britain and Ireland) a small sum of money which, by tradition, is returned by the seller to the buyer after the sale of grain or livestock; = luck penny n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > charm or amulet > for luck > specific
nicetery1652
horseshoe1665
rabbit's foot1680
pocket-piece1695
luck penny1703
luck money1820
caul1826
windbag1870
wind-knot1870
billiken1914
four-leaf clover1927
paho1979
1820 Observer 24 Sept. 2/5 The prisoner inspected the beast anew, and expressed his willingness to give the price required, provided deponent allowed him 5s. a head ‘luck money’.
1877 Notes & Queries 5th Ser. 7 488 In all agricultural dealings connected with cattle or corn it is customary when receiving payments to return a small sum to the customer, which is termed ‘luck money’.
1898 Daily News 17 Aug. 2/7 The butchers assert that luck money was customarily granted in Lincoln until the auction system was started.
1997 K. O'Riordan Boy in Moon ix. 171 Jeremiah struck a deal on his own beasts and the luck money was settled with a pat to Brian's head.
luck penny n. (a) (in Britain and Ireland) a small sum of money which, by tradition, is returned by the seller to the buyer after the sale of grain or livestock; = luck money n.; (b) a piece of money given or kept for good luck.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > charm or amulet > for luck > specific
nicetery1652
horseshoe1665
rabbit's foot1680
pocket-piece1695
luck penny1703
luck money1820
caul1826
windbag1870
wind-knot1870
billiken1914
four-leaf clover1927
paho1979
1703 in A. W. C. Hallen Acct. Bk. Sir J. Foulis (1894) 319 To tomsone a luck-pennie.
1824 M. R. Mitford Our Village I. 262 All the savings of a month, the hoarded halfpence, the new farthings, the very luck-penny, go off in fumo on that night.
1952 Bulletin 11 Sept. When ye buy a beast and gie a good price for it, he'll gie ye a poun, for you ain pocket—that's the luck penny.
2008 J. Quinn Goodnight Ballivor xvi. 81 Paddy bravely suggested a ‘luck penny’, as would be the custom in cattle dealing.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > an omen, sign, portent > [noun]
foretokenc888
tokeningc888
beaconc950
token971
handsela1200
boding1297
wonder1297
bodec1374
signa1387
foreboding1387
prenostica1393
prognosticc1425
prophetc1430
prognostication?a1439
ostentationa1450
prenostication?a1450
prodigy?a1450
augurationc1450
preparative1460
prenosticate?a1475
prenosticative?a1475
prodige1482
prenosticature1490
tokener1513
weird1513
show token1535
luck1538
prognosticate1541
preamble1548
proffer1548
presagition?c1550
foreshower1555
presage1560
portent1562
ostent1570
presagie1581
omen1582
presagement1586
luck sign1587
augury1588
prognosticon1588
forerunner1589
presager1591
halfner1594
spae1596
abode1598
oss1600
assign1601
augur1603
bodement1613
predictiona1616
prognosticala1618
bespeaker1624
portender1635
pre-indicant1659
foreshadow1834
boder1846
prognosticant1880
sky sign1880
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xxxiii. 621 He tooke a Lucksigne at the sight of a Lyonesse [Fr. Il prend augure d'vne Lyonne].
1896 Stud. Educ. 1 138 A most encouraging thing..is the singularly open spirit of the child in regard to his luck signs.
ΚΠ
1597 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 1st 3 Bks. ii. v. 40 Go take possession of the Church-porch-doore: And ring thy bels: lucke stroken in thy fist: The Parsonage is thine, or ere thou wist.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
luckv.
/lʌk/, U.S. /lək/ a. intransitive. With anticipatory it as subject and with the action expressed by a subordinate clause: to chance, happen, occur. Obsolete.In quot. c1438 with dative of person.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance [verb (intransitive)]
fallc1175
hapa1393
luckc1438
happenc1450
chance1536
to chop upon1555
hazard1575
alight1591
chop1652
lucken1674
c1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) ii. 234 (MED) On Corpus Cristi Euyn it lukkyd hem to comyn to a lityl ostage fer fro any towne.
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 34 Whan it so lucked [Du. ons..ghelucte] that we toke an oxe or a cowe.
?a1500 in C. H. Hartshorne Anc. Metrical Tales (1829) 225 See wich a scrowe is set on thie gate Warning the of harde Happes For and it lukke thou shalt have swappes.
b. intransitive. With adverbial complement, as to luck well, to luck ill: to turn out well, badly, etc.; to have luck of a specified kind. Also impersonal or with anticipatory it as subject. Obsolete (Scottish in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > result [verb (intransitive)] > turn out
goOE
farec1230
to come to proofc1330
shape1338
afarec1380
achievea1393
falla1398
sort1477
succeed1541
lucka1547
to fall out1556
redound1586
to come off1590
light1612
takea1625
result1626
issue1665
to turn out1731
eventuate1787
to roll out1801
to come away1823
to work out1839
pan1865
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) ii. sig. Biv Our first labor thus lucked well with vs.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 218 With thame of Cathnes lucket sa il, that [etc.].
a1640 J. Ogle Parlie at Ostend in F. Vere Commentaries (1657) 144 The first (and that is the word) it lucked well, judging the fact by the event.
1681 Heraclitus Ridens 3 May 2/1 They that addressed were the only Freeborn English, and they that did not address were to be slaves to them, if they had luck't right.
1810 J. Cock Simple Strains 65 Lat me tell ye, thro' the week, Your wark wad luck the better.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > cause to prosper or flourish [verb (transitive)] > make fortunate
fortune14..
fortunatec1420
to set or sit high on the wheel1487
luck1530
fortunize1596
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 615/2 I lucke one, I make hym luckye or happye, je heure. He is a happy person, for he lucketh every place he commeth in.
1550 W. Lynne tr. J. Carion Thre Bks. Cronicles iii. f. clxxxiii For yf that setting forth had lucked Mahomet ye Turkish Emperour, he had now take in not only Italy, but other contryes also.
3. † b. intransitive. Chiefly Scottish. With infinitive as complement: to chance, have the good luck to do something. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. Scottish. To be lucky; to prosper, succeed. Now rare. Sc. National Dict. (at Luck v.1) records this sense as still in use in Aberdeenshire, Midlothian, Berwickshire, and Kirkcudbright in 1961.
ΚΠ
1597 A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 629 Thocht thay now, I say now, To haissard hes na hart; Zit luck we, and pluck we, the fruit, thay wald haue part.
1622 in C. Innes Black Bk. Taymouth (1855) 373 Quhairby sen syne the persewaris geir hes not lukit with him and his cornes growis not.
1656 in Sc. Notes & Queries 2nd Ser. 5 107 Marjorie Baron said ther was a cat buried ther and that Agnes Low said nothing lucked ther.
1719 Session Bk. Dundonald (1936) 608 She heard Elisabeth Neil pray to God that William Wallace and his wife might neither luck nor thrive.
1801 A. Brown Poems Sc. Dial. 93 United, be your constant care, For without that ye never mair Need hope to luck or thrive ava.
1836 A. Cunningham Lord Roldan III. i. 23 Dinna venture by such an unsonsie place..naebody lucks that looks on't.
1877 G. Fraser Wigtown 212 Ill-gotten gear can never luck.
ΚΠ
1650 in W. B. Cook Stirling Antiquary (1908) IV. 156 The said Helen..ansrit that..she would not be the better since she luckit to meet with him.
1728 A. Ramsay Poems II. 389 If I should luck to come gloriously Hame.
1787 W. Taylor Scots Poems 103 Gin I shou'd luck to get a plummy sowd.
1842 H. W. Herbert Sporting Scenes & Sundry Sketches I. v. 48 The old cap. wanted to kill one o' them varmints most wonderful, but he never lucked to get a chance.
4. intransitive. to luck upon: to find, come across, or obtain by good luck. Hence similarly to luck on, to luck into, etc. Now somewhat colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > chance or causelessness > chance or risk [verb (transitive)] > come upon by chance
tumble1565
to fall with ——1646
pop1668
to luck upon1670
to run into ——1895
the world > action or operation > prosperity > cause to prosper or flourish [verb (transitive)] > make fortunate > acquire by good fortune
to luck upon1670
to luck on1917
to luck into1935
1670 J. Eachard Grounds Contempt of Clergy 35 Whereas there be so many thousand words in the World, and that he should luck upon the right one.
1681 J. Oldham tr. Horace Art of Poetry in Some New Pieces never Publisht 30 When such a lewd incorrigible sot Lucks by meer chance upon some happy thought.
1712 W. Oldisworth tr. R. Bentley Note in Horace Odes II. i. vii. 27/1 The most Renowned Thomas Gale..has luckt upon another Interpretation.
1770 W. Warburton in A. Pope Wks. I. 231 Our Shakespear..some how or other, hath lucked upon a very exact description of the Father of Poetry.
1917 O. R. Cohen & J. U. Giesy Other Woman xviii. 225 I lucked on a page who told me he heard Caldwell gassing with Franklin.
1935 Washington Post 9 Apr. 2/1 The Cabinet job which he lucked into when Senator Thomas J. Wash..died.
1959 Virginia Law Rev. 45 1177 For every case in which lawyers lucked upon the ‘confidential informant’, there were a dozen or more where the informant was never located.
1979 New West 15 Jan. 85/2 Bumblers and two-time losers who lucked on to the crime of the century.
2010 E. Mundell All Hell broke Loose xxiv. 337 They had lucked in on the greatest oil deposit outside the United States.
2014 Guardian (Nexis) 24 June (Sport section) 7 He looks like a man who can't believe that he somehow lucked into this job.
5. transitive. colloquial (originally U.S.).
a. To find (one's way) to a favourable situation due to good fortune.
ΚΠ
1922 Southern Hardware & Implement Jrnl. 1 Jan. 67/1 There may be one here and there, with a horseshoe in his pocket, who just naturally ‘lucked’ his way into success.
1949 Pittsburgh Courier 20 Aug. 14/1 Handy is a man who has sort of lucked his way to the top.
1991 J. Schall Indentation 49 The boys..somehow lucked their way out of purgatory and into heaven.
2003 K. Lowe New Free Chocolate Sex x. 87 She hated to think that after having lucked her way into a phone conversation with this man she wouldn't be able to capitalise on it.
b. To trust (an outcome) to luck; to experience a favourable outcome to (a situation) due to good fortune. Chiefly with it as object.
ΚΠ
1929 Amer. Mercury Aug. 389/2 I can do what I have to do. I can luck it anywhere I go.
1942 New Republic 20 Apr. 536/1 Landing was the real job, in that fog. I was pretty sure about my navigation..and decided to luck it and set her down.
1962 C. Bukowski Let. 19 Dec. in Screams from Balcony (1998) 50 I lucked it. Easy judge. Nobody got a day all the time I was in court, but all fined.
1974 Sumter (S. Carolina) Daily Item 22 Apr. b1/7 We lucked that one. We were lucky to be here and we were lucky to finish, but I like that kind of luck.
2003 P. Temple White Dog 3 I feel like a fake, someone who's lucked it.
Phrasal verbs
With adverbs in specialized senses. to luck out to luck up
intransitive. Originally U.S. To succeed, prosper, or gain an advantage by good luck. Also transitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > prosper or flourish [verb (intransitive)] > have good fortune
light?c1225
urec1440
to fall on (also upon) one's feet1574
to fall on (also upon) one's legs1723
to strike it rich1834
to strike oil1860
to luck out1902
to hit the jackpot1910
to bottom on (also upon) gold1926
to strike lucky1951
to hit (also strike, etc.) pay dirt1953
to land on one's feet1958
1902 Vicksburg (Miss.) Evening Post 17 July 4/2 At the protest of the Vicksburgers who were hoping against hope, he allowed the game to proceed, with the result that instead of Vicksburg lucking out, Baton Rouge scored another run.
1904 Washington Post 3 Sept. 8/3 Any sort of a hit looked good at this stage, and Manager Donovan lucked out a bunt to Patterson on which he got a scratch hit.
1911 Washington Post 10 Mar. 7 (heading) How He Lucked Out... The man who won the biggest parlay in history.
1934 Boys' Life Aug. 46/4 Joe..remembered that he hadn't shaken hands with his opponent, hurried back, told Tyson he had ‘lucked out’.
1959 Approach Apr. 25/3 ‘You sure almost had it that time,’ Jim said... ‘I sure did—talk about lucking out.’
1967 Boston Sunday Herald 7 May vi. 8/4 If you luck out, good. If not, you've still got your original bookings.
1972 J. Wambaugh Blue Knight (1973) ii. 22 Damned if I didn't luck out and get steered into a good job.
2005 D. Nicholls Understudy 165 Remember, Josh mate, you're nothing special, you don't deserve any of this, you just lucked out.
intransitive. U.S. (esp. in African-American usage). With on. To find, come across, or obtain by good luck.
ΚΠ
1922 Chicago Defender 28 Jan. a1 (headline) Dixie Mammy Lucked Up on Ice Cream Art.
1936 N.Y. Amsterdam News 29 Feb. 9/6 Men who consider themselves eligible, or who perhaps figure they may luck up on an honest-to-goodness help-meet.
1962 ‘E. Lacy’ Freeloaders i. 9 This is the best writing pad I've ever lucked up on.
1971 Black World Apr. 56 All of em hopin to luck up on a few grand by hittin on me.
1992 T. Morrison Jazz 46 If you lucked up on some fool you'd have a place? Is that what you thought?
2011 Pittsburgh Tribune Rev. (Nexis) 29 Apr. I just went in the other room and wrote some crazy stuff down... I just kind of luck up on it, but thank God I can.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
n.?a1475
v.c1438