| 释义 |
you can't win 'em all
(you) can't win them allA phrase said, often as an attempt at consolation, when one has lost or failed to achieve a desired result, especially after previous success. "Them" is sometimes abbreviated as "'em." I know you're disappointed to have the lost the game, but you can't win them all, honey. A: "I'm sorry, I know you worked really hard and were expecting an A+." B: "Eh, can't win 'em all."See also: all, winyou can't win 'em allSuccess is not inevitable, as in They published your article but not your rebuttal to the reviewer? Well, you can't win 'em all . [First half of 1900s] For a synonym, see win some, lose some. See also: all, winyou can't win 'em allIt’s impossible to succeed in every undertaking. This twentieth-century Americanism slightly antedates the synonym win some, lose some, having originated about 1940. Also a philosophic view of losing, it appears in Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye (1954): “Take it easy, Doc. You can’t win ’em all.” In contrast, the shorter you can’t win is generally spoken out of frustration with defeat and originated somewhat earlier, probably about 1910.See also: all, win |