a coin toss

a coin toss

1. Literally, the act of throwing a coin into the air, with the outcome of something dependent on which side of the coin lands face-up. We figured the fairest way was to do a coin toss to see who should keep Dad's old stamp collection.2. By extension, a situation in which two outcomes, usually opposites, are equally likely and will be decided by chance. At this point, it's really just a coin-toss whether we'll be able to recoup our costs from this project or not.See also: coin, toss

a coin toss

AMERICANIf you describe a something as a coin toss, you mean that there is an equal chance of either of two things happening. Will he play well or will he play badly? It's always a coin toss with him. It's a coin toss as to whether you're going to see a legal challenge.See also: coin, toss