INDEX:
1. a lucky person
2. a lucky thing that happens
3. the way good things happen by chance
4. telling someone you hope they will be lucky and successful
5. when something brings you good luck
6. things you say when hoping for good luck
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ UNLUCKY
see also
↑ CHANCE
↑ RISK
↑ GAMBLING
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1. a lucky person
▷ lucky /ˈlʌki/ [adjective]
if you are lucky, good things happen to you and things go well for you, because you have good luck and not because of hard work, careful planning etc :
▪ Isn’t she lucky - she can eat what she wants and she never gets fat.
▪ There are monkeys and zebra, and if you’re lucky you might see a lion.
lucky to do something
▪ I’m lucky to live in a nice house and be married to such a nice man.
lucky (that)
▪ Arthur left the front door unlocked - we’re lucky that nothing was stolen.
lucky with
▪ Apart from the sprained ankle, I’ve been very lucky with injuries I haven’t had many .
think/count yourself lucky
used to say that someone should consider themselves lucky
▪ He should count himself lucky not to have been blamed for the whole fiasco.
▷ fortunate /ˈfɔːʳtʃ ə nət/ [adjective]
lucky, especially when you are luckier than other people. Fortunate is more formal than lucky :
▪ David managed to escape, but the others were not so fortunate.
fortunate to do something
▪ I am fortunate to work in a school where all the children are extremely motivated.
▷ jammy /ˈdʒæmi/ [adjective] British informal
use this about someone who is lucky to be able to do something, when you are jealous because you would like to do it :
▪ That jammy devil Steve has got out of the washing up again.
▷ be in luck /biː ɪn ˈlʌk/ [verb phrase]
to be lucky, especially because you get the thing that you wanted although you did not really expect to get it :
▪ You’re in luck, there are still a few tickets left.
▪ If you like Californian wine you could be in luck - we are giving away 100 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon.
▷ some people have all the luck /ˌsʌm piːp ə l hæv ˈɔːl ðə ˌlʌk/
you say some people have all the luck when you are talking about someone who is always very lucky, especially when you are jealous of their good luck :
▪ It costs a fortune to buy a Porsche - some people have all the luck.
▷ lead a charmed life /liːd ə ˌtʃɑːʳmd ˈlaɪf/ [verb phrase]
to be lucky all the time, so that although you are often in dangerous situations, it seems that nothing can harm you :
▪ By his own admission he had led a charmed life. He had survived a train crash when he was seventeen.
▷ it’s all right for some /ɪts ˌɔːl raɪt fəʳ ˈsʌm/ British
you say it’s all right for some when you think someone else is lucky because they are enjoying themselves, having an easy life etc and you are jealous of them :
▪ You’re going to Hawaii? It’s all right for some!
▪ It’s all right for some. I’ve got to stay in and work this evening.
▷ be lucky enough to do something/have the good fortune to do something /biː ˌlʌki ɪnʌf tə ˈduː something, ˌhæv ðə gʊd ˌfɔːʳtʃ ə n tə ˈduː something/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be lucky because you have the chance to do something you wanted to do or something that most other people do not have the chance to do :
▪ I went along to the audition with everyone else, and was lucky enough to get the part.
▪ In 1957 I had the good fortune to be invited on a lecture tour of Switzerland.
▷ fall on your feet /ˌfɔːl ɒn jɔːʳ ˈfiːt/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be successful or get into a good situation as a result of good luck, especially after you have been experiencing difficulty :
▪ Nathan had a series of jobs where he wasn’t happy, but this time he’s really fallen on his feet.
▪ Don’t worry about Nina -- she always falls on her feet.
▷ be in the right place at the right time /biː ɪn ðə ˌraɪt ˌpleɪs ət ðə ˌraɪt ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase]
to be lucky because you are in a particular place when something good is offered or becomes available :
▪ ‘You did well to get that contract.’ ‘Not really, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.’
▪ Being a successful news photographer is all about being in the right place at the right time.
▷ luck out /ˌlʌk ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb] American informal
an expression meaning to be very lucky on a particular occasion :
▪ I didn’t have any idea what I was doing, but I lucked out and wound up with a good job.
2. a lucky thing that happens
▷ lucky /ˈlʌki/ [adjective]
a lucky event happens because of good luck, and not because of hard work, careful planning etc :
lucky guess/win/escape etc
▪ ‘How did you know he’d be there?’ ‘It was a lucky guess.’
▪ Italy got a lucky goal in the last five minutes of the game.
it is lucky (that)
▪ ‘It’s lucky that you remembered about the passports,’ said Barry as they drove away.
▷ fortunate /ˈfɔːʳtʃ ə nət/ [adjective]
lucky - use this especially about something that happens which saves you from danger or serious trouble. Fortunate is more formal than lucky :
it is fortunate (that)
▪ It is extremely fortunate that there was no-one in the building when the bomb went off.
fortunate for
▪ Some plants actually prefer a lot of shade, which is fortunate for gardeners choosing plants for gloomy corners.
▷ luckily/fortunately /ˈlʌkɪli, ˈlʌkəli, ˈfɔːʳtʃ ə nətli/ [adverb]
because of good luck - use this when something dangerous or unpleasant is avoided as a result of good luck :
▪ I had forgotten my key, but luckily Ahmed was there and let me in.
▪ Fortunately, there was no-one in the office when the fire started.
luckily/fortunately for
▪ Luckily for us it didn’t rain till the evening.
▷ it’s a good thing also it’s a good job British /ɪts ə ˌgʊd ˈθɪŋ, ɪts ə ˌgʊd ˈdʒɒbǁ-ˈdʒɑːb/ spoken
say this when something lucky happens that saves you from experiencing problems or danger :
it’s a good thing (that)
▪ It’s a good thing I brought my camera.
▪ It’s a good job you didn’t scream.
▷ a stroke of luck /ə ˌstrəʊk əv ˈlʌk/ [countable noun]
something lucky that happens to you very unexpectedly and saves you from a difficult or inconvenient situation :
▪ My car had broken down opposite a garage, which was a real stroke of luck.
▪ Here’s a letter from my father with a cheque inside - isn’t that a stroke of luck!
it is a stroke of luck (that)
▪ It was a stroke of luck that they’d just substituted their usual penalty taker.
▷ be your lucky day/night etc /biː jɔːʳ ˌlʌki ˈdeɪ/ [verb phrase]
if it is your lucky day, night etc, you are lucky and something good happens then :
▪ I have a feeling today’s going to be my lucky day.
▪ He kissed her again and then started up the car. Tonight was his lucky night.
▷ miraculous /mɪˈrækjɑləs/ [adjective]
use this when something very dangerous or unpleasant is avoided as a result of good luck, in a way that is almost unbelievable :
▪ A teenager had a miraculous escape last night when the car she was travelling in overturned.
▪ The doctor gave her a month to live but she made a miraculous recovery.
it is miraculous (that)
▪ The emergency services said it was miraculous that no-one was seriously injured.
miraculously [adverb]
▪ I suppose you thought that everything would miraculously work itself out.
▷ fluke /fluːk/ [singular noun] informal
something very surprising that only happens because of luck, not because of your skill or planning :
▪ I’ll have to win more than once, otherwise people will think it was a fluke.
3. the way good things happen by chance
▷ luck /lʌk/ [uncountable noun]
the way that good things happen to someone by chance, not because of hard work, careful planning etc :
▪ You’ll need plenty of luck if you’re hoping to succeed in the music business.
have luck (with something)
▪ Did you have any luck with the job application?
▪ You’re not having much luck today, are you?
luck is on your side
you are lucky
▪ If luck was on our side, the garage would have delivered our car by now.
for (good) luck
as a way of bringing good luck
▪ ‘Please let it be him,’ said Sara, keeping her fingers crossed for luck.
with (any) luck
if you are lucky
▪ With any luck we should reach the coast before it gets dark.
by luck
as a result of luck
▪ I found the place purely by luck.
somebody’s luck holds
they continue to be lucky
▪ If his luck held, no one would notice he had escaped for at least two hours.
sheer luck
only luck, and nothing else
▪ I got the right answer, but it was sheer luck.
a run of good luck
a period of time when you continually have good luck
▪ The company knew that their run of good luck would not last forever.
4. telling someone you hope they will be lucky and successful
▷ good luck/best of luck /ˌgʊd ˈlʌk, ˌbest əv ˈlʌk/ spoken
say this to tell someone that you hope they will be lucky and successful :
▪ Good luck Archie! Enjoy your new job.
good luck/best of luck with/in
▪ Best of luck with your driving test.
▷ wish somebody luck /ˌwɪʃ somebody ˈlʌk/ [verb phrase]
to tell someone that you hope they will be lucky or successful, when they are about to do something difficult :
▪ Wish me luck - I’ll need it for this French exam.
wish sb luck in/with
▪ Brian asked me to wish you luck in your interview.
5. when something brings you good luck
▷ lucky /ˈlʌki/ [adjective]
something that is lucky seems to help you to have good luck or be successful :
▪ My lucky number is seven.
lucky charm
a small object, piece of jewellery etc that someone carries with them to bring them good luck
▪ She wears his wedding ring on a chain around her neck, as a lucky charm.
6. things you say when hoping for good luck
▷ touch wood British /knock on wood American /ˌtʌtʃ ˈwʊd, ˌnɒk ɒn ˈwʊdǁˌnɑːk-/ [verb phrase] spoken
say this when you have been lucky up to now and you hope that you will not have any bad luck in the future :
▪ I’ve never been in trouble with the police, touch wood.
▪ We haven’t missed a deadline yet, knock on wood.
▷ keep your fingers crossed /ˌkiːp jɔːʳ ˈfɪŋgəʳz ˌkrɒstǁ-ˌkrɔːst/ [verb phrase] spoken
say this when you are hoping for good luck for yourself or for other people :
▪ We’re hoping Bill will be well enough to play in the next game - we’re keeping our fingers crossed, anyway.
keep your fingers crossed for
▪ She’s having her operation tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed for her.