Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“This whole acting thing was an absolute shot in the dark. If it didn’t work, I had my hammer and tool belt, and could have been banging nails again the next day.”
Actor Matt LeBlanc, talking about how unlikely his success as an actor was (BrainyQuote)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
hopeful try; attempt that is unlikely to work
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Have you ever bought a lottery ticket? You know that it is nearly impossible to win, so why did you buy it? It’s fun because even though you probably won’t win, there is a small chance you could become incredibly rich! Every time somebody buys a lottery ticket, it’s a shot in the dark.
A shot in the dark is when someone makes a hopeful try at something, even though it is unlikely to work. For example, let’s say that you see an opening for a job that pays a lot of money. You would like to get the job, but you know there are probably people with more experience and better qualifications than you who also want the job. You can decide not to try, or you can take a shot in the dark and apply, even though you do not expect to get the job.
Actor Matt LeBlanc says his whole acting career was a shot in the dark. He did not expect it to work, but instead he became incredibly famous for his role on the TV show “Friends.” Sometimes, a shot in the dark works out perfectly.
When is the last time you took a shot in the dark? How did it go?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“Tad’s request to stay up past bedtime was a shot in the dark.”
“Asking Mikaela to marry me was a shot in the dark. But she said yes!”
“Every time I ask for a raise it’s a shot in the dark. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t.”