I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a chance in a million
▪
It was a chance in a million that we’d find a fossil.
a chance remark (= one that is not planned or intended )
▪
I found out about their relationship from a chance remark Teddy made at dinner.
a chance/hope/possibility of escape
▪
The river offered our only hope of escape.
a chance/opportunity to express sth
▪
The debate will give MPs an opportunity to express their views in detail.
a fifty-fifty chance
▪
a fifty-fifty chance of winning
a good chance (= is fairly likely to win )
▪
Our team has a good chance of winning .
a realistic chance/prospect
▪
We felt we had a realistic chance of beating England.
afford (sb) an opportunity/chance
▪
It afforded her the opportunity to improve her tennis skills.
an accidental/chance discovery (= happening by chance )
▪
Some of the tombs were the result of chance discoveries.
be glad of an opportunity/chance/excuse to do sth
▪
They were glad of the chance to finally get some sleep.
blown...chances
▪
We’ve blown our chances of getting that contract.
chance encounter (= a meeting that happened by chance )
▪
Bernstein began training the young musician after a chance encounter at a concert .
deserve a chance
▪
Everybody deserves a second chance.
don’t stand a ghost of a chance
▪
They don’t stand a ghost of a chance of winning.
every chance
▪
There is every chance that he will recover.
fancy...chances
▪
I don’t fancy our chances of getting a ticket this late.
give...a chance
▪
These meetings give everyone a chance to express their opinions.
give...a second chance
▪
I just want to give these kids a second chance .
given half a chance
▪
Many kids would sleep till noon given half a chance .
got half the chance
▪
I’d go to university if I got half the chance .
grab...chance
▪
I think you should grab your chance to travel while you’re young.
have an even chance
▪
I think we have an even chance of winning.
If by any chance
▪
If by any chance you can’t manage dinner tonight, perhaps we can at least have a drink together.
leave...to chance (= take no action and just wait to see what happens )
▪
He’s not the sort to leave things to chance .
lessen the risk/chance/possibility etc (of sth)
▪
Exercise lessens the risk of heart disease.
lose a chance/opportunity
▪
If you hesitate, you may lose the opportunity to compete altogether.
maximize opportunities/chances etc
▪
The career center will help you maximize your opportunities.
offer an opportunity/chance/possibility
▪
The course offers the opportunity to specialize in the final year.
pass up a chance/opportunity/offer
▪
I don’t think you should pass up the opportunity to go to university.
prejudice...chances
▪
A criminal record will prejudice your chances of getting a job.
pure chance/luck
▪
He had discovered the truth by pure chance.
purely by chance
▪
It happened purely by chance .
relish the chance/opportunity
▪
He relishes the chance to play Hamlet.
remote chance/possibility
▪
There’s a remote chance that you can catch him before he leaves.
sb's chance of success
▪
They have a good chance of success.
sb’s chances are zero (= they have no chance of success )
▪
Mike’s chances of winning are virtually zero.
▪
From 1971 to 1976 West Vancouver experienced zero population growth.
sb’s chance(s) of survival
▪
He knew that his chances of survival were small.
slim chance
▪
There’s only a slim chance that anyone survived the crash.
there’s a fair chance (that)/of sth (= it is quite likely that something will happen )
▪
There’s a fair chance we’ll be coming over to England this summer.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
fair
▪
The private sector must be given a fair chance to compete for local authority contracts.
▪
She feels she has a fair chance .
▪
If it were not for the debilitating character question, Clinton would surely have a fair chance of beating Bush.
▪
People get a fair chance to turn themselves around.
▪
Had he done so, there was a fair chance of victory.
▪
But people demand a fair chance at justice as surely as they demand medical care.
▪
You appreciate that there is a fair chance that you might find yourself prematurely in another world?
▪
The youth Law changes are in their infancy and are an asset to the game if they are given a fair chance .
fat
▪
There is fat chance of that for as long as the Government allows the banks to carry on with their grasping one-way policy.
▪
I called from Chicago, leaving messages once, twice and even asked people to call me back collect. Fat chance .
▪
So Mr Major is urging industry to drop the practice of the automatic annual pay-rise. Fat chance .
▪
Members of political action committees might have hoped for a little breather before being hit up again for money. Fat chance .
▪
The Magyar will send out word that his precious primadonna is missing? Fat chance .
▪
They promise to help you do research, manage messages and control schedules. Fat chance !
▪
And a chance . Fat chance.
▪
And then walk out of here leaving my body on the floor? Fat chance .
good
▪
On paper, Mr Bush has a good chance of getting fast-track.
▪
The unprecedented federal proposal may have a better chance in a non-election year, building on the groundwork laid this year.
▪
United's best chances came in the first half, but Barnsley gave as good as they got and went close once or twice.
▪
Pat Gavin had a good scoring chance but Stephen Pears brought off a brilliant save.
▪
He's got as good a chance as any of the other challengers, and better than most.
▪
Even Reeves's younger brother, under the full blast of a howitzer shell, had stood a better chance .
▪
If you fight, you stand a better chance .
▪
I like to feel that if it came to a stand-up fight I would have a good chance of victory and escape.
great
▪
Experience to date and motivational goal data give us our greatest chance of picking a winner.
▪
Their chances of being killed by lightning are 30 times greater than their chances of being eaten by a shark.
▪
This gives the greatest chance of individuals understanding the reasons for decisions, having ownership of resulting policy and implementing it.
▪
But agents say that the longer the immigrants are on foot, the greater the chance of them being apprehended.
▪
Peterborough substitute Peter Costello had a great chance to be an instant hero.
▪
In other words, lots of concurrent partners in the briefest possible time span will equal the greatest chance of epidemic spread.
▪
With our vastly improved materials, adhesives and security technology, perhaps the new clock has an even greater chance of survival?
▪
The more drugs, the greater the chance for incompatibility and adverse reactions.
little
▪
There would be little chance of continuing to see flowers in militias' buttonholes.
▪
Perfecting themselves, though, there is little chance that they will lose themselves in anyone else.
▪
There has, therefore, been little chance in the past for a political growth of class consciousness among subordinate groups.
▪
However, the override is given little chance of passing the Senate where 54 senators voted for the ban last year.
▪
As there was very little chance of her being got off at that season she was advertised for sale.
▪
But the bill is given little chance of passage in the Republican-dominated House.
▪
Without a theatrical release in their own domestic market, they stood little chance of recouping the money lavished on them.
▪
The left is hardly vigorous today; and, for the moment, there seems little chance of mobilizing a conservative society.
only
▪
His only chance of avoiding a council bed and breakfast hostel is a mortgage rescue scheme.
▪
Or perhaps they do, for the beast does swerve aside, though this could be only chance .
▪
Your only chance is to pull at him from the side, which may steer him away from the refuge he seeks.
▪
This might be the only chance she would have.
▪
Now his only chance of life is a new heart.
▪
That the only chance of me ever being spotted is if I catch measles.
▪
The only chance I might have is when he comes in with the tray.
▪
His only chance is to outsmart Koch's crew in shifty winds.
realistic
▪
In this way, we lost any realistic chance to reaffirm the essential truth of John Prescott's commitment.
▪
Will you raise my profits?-Are you realistic about your chances of gaining this position?
▪
Robert Carnwath feared that the Act was so confused that we could not go to court with a realistic chance of winning.
▪
Why Forbes thought that he stood a realistic chance of success this year is a question that baffled observers.
▪
Failure to accept that a field landing is necessary Be realistic about the chances of finding lift low down.
▪
So do Portsmouth have any realistic chance of winning?
■ VERB
fancy
▪
Van Rensburg perhaps fancies his chances in the red and white.
▪
Chap at the far end of the bar in a grey pin-stripe clearly fancied his chances .
▪
I hadn't been sober and I'd quite fancied my chances with one of the birds.
▪
If you fancy your chances at bigger shows think about a registered Mountain and Moorland for a fraction of the price.
▪
They certainly fancied their chances in the next event: swimming.
▪
They are beginning to quietly fancy their chances at Stamford Bridge.
▪
If you fancy your chances , contact Carolyn Andrews at the public affairs department who will send you the necessary registration forms.
▪
I saw his fancy woman by chance one day.
get
▪
But we didn't get that chance .
▪
By the time I got my chance at the cash register, my white friends had been promoted to management.
▪
It didn't get its chance .
▪
Bill Pulliam gets a chance at the girl for once as the brother, with Peter Gallagher as the comatose one.
▪
They hope he gets the chance to prove on Saturday, that he's value for money.
▪
He got his first chance on the early August day that Mayor George Miller awarded him the one-year job.
▪
We visit the charming sheep and I get a chance to wear my wellingtons after all.
▪
He knew then he'd got a chance of winning.
give
▪
As McKinsey laments, given half a chance they revert to old habits.
▪
You give them a chance to think, they get scared.
▪
The Tesco Cares campaign gives us all a chance to help.
▪
They asked my mom questions, and then they gave me a chance to say something after all the stuff was done.
▪
Most importantly, it gives you both a chance to test whether the relationship could and will work long term.
▪
Of the six, only Brown is given a chance of returning for the Dallas game.
▪
In my opinion, they didn't give him a chance .
▪
Once the leader in polls here, he now languishes in fourth place and is given no chance of winning.
improve
▪
Any success that could be claimed to the credit of St Mary's Hospital improved its chances of acquiring much needed donations.
▪
Why, they wonder, does the one perpetuate low-performance patterns, while the other improves the chances for organizational success?
▪
That would put a lighter burden on the prosecution, and improve the chances of convicting an offender.
▪
It is easiest to see this in attempts to improve one's chances of promotion.
▪
To improve your chances of sleeping through the night, lower the heat and try running a humidifier during the night.
▪
Another practical step you can take to improve your chances is to take control of your feelings.
▪
There are a number of lifestyle changes you can make to improve your chances of beating a mild depression.
increase
▪
Mary's natural tendency to fly into a temper probably did not increase their chances very much.
▪
If she is 14 rather than 10, it could increase her chances of getting to keep her child, Hay said.
▪
When a dictator decides to liberalise his regime he increases his chances of being ousted.
▪
The only defendant to testify was Salaam, a move which most observers saw as having increased his chances of conviction.
▪
Those who inherit one gene have an increased chance of acquiring cancers later in life.
▪
Thus issue of pasting in photographs etc. would be resolved and so increase the chances of having the complete story.
▪
For such clients, setting intermediate goals increases the chances of initial success, which will keep their motivation up.
jump
▪
Con had jumped at the chance of taking Cedric and the pair had apparently settled in happily together.
▪
Not all the associations are jumping at the chance to buy and sell derivatives.
▪
Her business mind had jumped at the chance of a spot of international acclaim.
▪
I jumped at the chance to go buy a bottle of whisky to keep warm in the rushing cold air of night.
▪
I signed him for Middlesbrough, and I jumped at the chance to sign him again here.
▪
Mrs Froggat jumped at the chance .
▪
Many stars have jumped at the chance to appear in Morse which is transmitted worldwide.
▪
Actor, Anthony Hopkins, explains that he jumped at the chance to play a part in the film.
lose
▪
In this way, we lost any realistic chance to reaffirm the essential truth of John Prescott's commitment.
▪
He also knew that the next few minutes could lose what chance had so miraculously delivered up to him at long last.
▪
Although the company lost , chances of success would be greatly improved under the proposed legislation.
▪
The obvious implication is that many asylum seekers may miss the deadline and lose the chance to appeal.
▪
So Oklahoma won the game, but the Sooners' quarterback lost his chance .
▪
But by failing to register in time you will have lost the chance of being given preference in allocation.
▪
He lost 19 years of freedom and lost his chance at the world middleweight boxing title.
miss
▪
But Haylock and Gorman missed enough chances to make it five.
▪
The Lakers also missed a chance to win their eighth straight road game, something they last accomplished in 1973.
▪
I knew I'd missed my chance when that happened.
▪
Don't miss your chance to enjoy the ultimate maritime lifestyle in 1991!
▪
The Spartans missed one final chance to catch up.
▪
Trust Spittals not to miss a chance to get into the papers, thought Dexter with a snort.
▪
I miss the chance to swap stories with friends.
offer
▪
Haywood High school is offering them the chance to attend weekly masterclasses, to stretch their minds that bit more.
▪
The company offers college students a chance to learn management of a company and earn money during their summer breaks.
▪
But it would at least offer a chance of a positive political development.
▪
He sent Meekins, the officer, to a secret administrative hearing that offered no chance of jail.
▪
Why are we offering you the chance of such a fantastic windfall?
▪
The scheme offers the company the chance of a four-fold rise in audiences for a two-fold increase in money.
▪
Yesterday he was offered the chance to pull out of part of it and go home because of his domestic troubles.
▪
Today's proliferating new technologies seem to offer advertisers the chance to reach this holy grail.
reduce
▪
There are several measures which might reduce the chances of a suicide attempt in an individual at risk.
▪
And the first ladies' gowns were placed on soft body mannequins to reduce the chance of tearing.
▪
Those who stop smoking considerably reduce their chance of developing one of these diseases.
▪
They may reduce your chance of getting heart disease.
▪
This uses up energy, weakening the plant and reducing its chances of producing viable fruit.
▪
That would reduce his chances of missing something almost to nil.
▪
One proposal by the commission would reduce the market's chances of working efficiently.
stand
▪
He's decided to come into motor sport and stands a good chance .
▪
He figured he stood better chances shooting it out with federal agents who had more firepower.
▪
Even fully fit he would have stood little chance against the oriental, who was an expert in martial arts combat.
▪
Or are the few crabs that we see so voracious that any new recruit stands little chance of survival?
▪
With a wounded arm and leg, he stood no chance at all.
▪
The plants stand a better chance of rebounding if you had them in the garage or some area that provided protection.
▪
Following this strategy you stand a good chance of getting what you need.
▪
But he does stand a good chance of profoundly damaging the candidacy of Bob Dole.
take
▪
There are still those who prefer to take their chances in the profession without any formal training.
▪
Nobody took any more chances with this turn of events.
▪
I will not allow Ana to take the chance either.
▪
You have to take chances for peace, just as you must take chances in war.
▪
Even though I only have to walk around the dancers, he's taking no chances .
▪
They squawked that Jack was robbing them again, taking away their chance to make a big tourist dollar.
▪
People take the chances that come their way.
▪
But since they were always feuding with somebody, and Kelly was still party boss, Daley took the chance .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(not) a ghost of a chance
▪
Is there a ghost of a chance that any of these stories are true?
a faint hope/possibility/chance etc
▪
I thought about letting it ring, but there was a faint hope that it might be Sally.
▪
If it can startle the predator in some way, there is a faint chance that the enemy may panic and flee.
▪
That uncertainty urges us to look beyond the present, with a faint hope to control our future.
▪
There remained a faint possibility that Newley would try to identify the person who collected the money.
a game of chance
▪
Poker is a game of chance.
▪
Predicting the outcome is a game of chance.
a mathematical chance (of sth)
an even chance
▪
There is a suggestion that offspring do not have an even chance of inheriting a trait from either parent.
▪
There was always better than an even chance of something like this happening.
an eye for/on/to the main chance
an outside chance
▪
Here are two more from the downs with an outside chance and one from Wendover in Buckinghamshire.
▪
Norman pitched his into the heart of the green and had an outside chance for birdie.
▪
Some shrewd Iowa pols also see an outside chance for former Gov.
▪
There is also an outside chance Cadbury may itself be a bid target.
fat chance
▪
You want tickets for the big game? Fat chance.
▪
There is fat chance of that for as long as the Government allows the banks to carry on with their grasping one-way policy.
half a/the chance
▪
As McKinsey laments, given half a chance they revert to old habits.
▪
Given half a chance, his body was healing, repairing itself.
▪
If the people are given half a chance there is hope for a return to it's colourful and vibrant past.
▪
It's the trees they go for, given half a chance.
▪
It possesses a large number of small but very sharp teeth and can inflict a painful bite if given half a chance.
▪
That's nothing on how good they could be, given half a chance.
▪
You had to grow up and get into the lycée to have half a chance with him.
have a fighting chance
▪
All children must have a fighting chance at a good education.
▪
And that has encouraged the Geordies to believe they still have a fighting chance of keeping him.
▪
Central defender Tony Mowbray believes his former team have a fighting chance at Old Trafford.
leap at the chance/opportunity
▪
It would be naive to believe that there aren't lots of people who would leap at the opportunity.
▪
Some may leap at the chance.
miss a chance/opportunity
▪
It would be unforgivable to miss this opportunity to travel.
▪
He didn't miss an opportunity.
▪
He must not miss a chance when it comes through being preoccupied with something else.
▪
History was being catalogued here, the missed opportunities, blunders, and outright mistakes.
▪
However, though I had missed a chance, the advantages were now all on my side and distinctly in my favour.
▪
It was a missed opportunity that they might never regain.
▪
Now, as many times before, the City is missing a chance to put the system right.
▪
The missed opportunities and hidden costs for Zappo were enormous.
▪
The snakes are sometimes hard to find, so the Webers never miss a chance to make a kill.
not have a dog's chance
not have a snowball's chance in hell
not stand/have a cat in hell's chance (of doing sth)
not the slightest chance/doubt/difference etc
▪
But whether the parent with the yellow flowers supplies the egg or the pollen makes not the slightest difference.
▪
I tried closing my eyes; it made not the slightest difference.
▪
There was now not the slightest doubt that Hsu was decaying and losing her structural integrity.
rate sb's chances (of doing sth)
▪
But few analysts rate the chances of Washington's prefered successors very highly.
▪
But officials will not rate the survival chances above 50 percent until a month after birth.
▪
How high do you rate my chances?
▪
I didn't really rate his chances of living that long.
▪
The doctors rated his chances as virtually nil.
second chance
▪
Boone will have to prove in his second chance that he can delegate and teach.
▪
Creative football that created the big chance - a second chance at Wembley.
▪
Fornek got a second chance at close range as Gingrich was leaving the luncheon.
▪
He'd been offered a second chance of salvation.
▪
In what other sports is a participant allowed a second chance because of failure?
▪
It was his addled understanding of the rules of warfare that the marksman should be given a second chance.
▪
Or that rarity, a second chance?
▪
You don't get a second chance - fatal wounds stay fatal.
seize a chance/an opportunity/the initiative
sporting chance (of doing sth)
▪
After all, you are meant to give the quarry a sporting chance.
stand a chance/hope (of doing sth)
▪
You'll stand a better chance of getting a job with a degree.
▪
C., woman fumed outside the museum where a crowd stood hoping to get a ticket to hear Wiesel.
▪
Dougal didn't struggle: even if he could have got out of the duvet, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
▪
In the face of Queeensrÿche they didn't stand a chance.
▪
No Labour rethink that ignores this will stand a chance of success in the future.
▪
Schools from across the country craved his talents, but only two stood a chance.
▪
The rest must keep pace if they are to stand a chance-advertising works.
▪
The women stand a chance in the foil competition with Charlene DiMiceli.
▪
This was the crunch match they really had to win to stand a chance of staying up.
the chance/experience etc of a lifetime
▪
Jim assured him that hearing me sing was the experience of a lifetime , but Dad wasn't having that.
▪
There is also the chance of a lifetime for the talented teams who win through to the final.
▪
This was the chance of a lifetime .
▪
We are offering the experience of a lifetime , and it seems to appeal to people from all over the world.
try/chance your luck
▪
Akinbiyi was next up to try his luck after 25 minutes, following a great break from the left touchline.
▪
And if Mr. Birt does find himself out of a job, he could always try his luck as a timeshare salesman.
▪
But the next time Berger tried his luck , it produced a spectacular dividend.
▪
He squatted down with a stick to try his luck .
▪
Moments later Pauleta tried his luck with a fizzing 30-yarder, but Shay Given got a hand to it.
▪
Well, I strongly recommend that you try your luck on any wide verges close to towns.
▪
Why not try your luck and help others at the same time?
▪
Without a pub to be seen for miles we decided to try our luck in the bar of the hilton.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
"Back to School Night" will be a chance for parents to meet their child's teacher.
▪
I never got the chance to thank him for all his help.
▪
I wish he'd just give me the chance to explain.
▪
It's a beautiful building - you should go and see it if you have a chance .
▪
It was her last chance to see him before she left town.
▪
You should take the chance to travel while you are still young.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
He took less of a chance .
▪
That would reduce his chances of missing something almost to nil.
▪
The chance of reproducing is high even if the organism is not very efficient.
▪
The chances of such preservation need to be assessed before evidence is destroyed.
▪
Then the war came and after the war the concert-managers offered me a chance to do all the Mahler symphonies.
▪
They are beginning to quietly fancy their chances at Stamford Bridge.
▪
They now have to put up with seeing their young thrown in prison and coming out with little chance of being rehabilitated.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
arm
▪
I assumed he was chancing his arm .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(not) a ghost of a chance
▪
Is there a ghost of a chance that any of these stories are true?
a faint hope/possibility/chance etc
▪
I thought about letting it ring, but there was a faint hope that it might be Sally.
▪
If it can startle the predator in some way, there is a faint chance that the enemy may panic and flee.
▪
That uncertainty urges us to look beyond the present, with a faint hope to control our future.
▪
There remained a faint possibility that Newley would try to identify the person who collected the money.
a game of chance
▪
Poker is a game of chance.
▪
Predicting the outcome is a game of chance.
a mathematical chance (of sth)
an even chance
▪
There is a suggestion that offspring do not have an even chance of inheriting a trait from either parent.
▪
There was always better than an even chance of something like this happening.
an eye for/on/to the main chance
an outside chance
▪
Here are two more from the downs with an outside chance and one from Wendover in Buckinghamshire.
▪
Norman pitched his into the heart of the green and had an outside chance for birdie.
▪
Some shrewd Iowa pols also see an outside chance for former Gov.
▪
There is also an outside chance Cadbury may itself be a bid target.
fat chance
▪
You want tickets for the big game? Fat chance.
▪
There is fat chance of that for as long as the Government allows the banks to carry on with their grasping one-way policy.
half a/the chance
▪
As McKinsey laments, given half a chance they revert to old habits.
▪
Given half a chance, his body was healing, repairing itself.
▪
If the people are given half a chance there is hope for a return to it's colourful and vibrant past.
▪
It's the trees they go for, given half a chance.
▪
It possesses a large number of small but very sharp teeth and can inflict a painful bite if given half a chance.
▪
That's nothing on how good they could be, given half a chance.
▪
You had to grow up and get into the lycée to have half a chance with him.
not have a dog's chance
not have a snowball's chance in hell
not stand/have a cat in hell's chance (of doing sth)
not the slightest chance/doubt/difference etc
▪
But whether the parent with the yellow flowers supplies the egg or the pollen makes not the slightest difference.
▪
I tried closing my eyes; it made not the slightest difference.
▪
There was now not the slightest doubt that Hsu was decaying and losing her structural integrity.
second chance
▪
Boone will have to prove in his second chance that he can delegate and teach.
▪
Creative football that created the big chance - a second chance at Wembley.
▪
Fornek got a second chance at close range as Gingrich was leaving the luncheon.
▪
He'd been offered a second chance of salvation.
▪
In what other sports is a participant allowed a second chance because of failure?
▪
It was his addled understanding of the rules of warfare that the marksman should be given a second chance.
▪
Or that rarity, a second chance?
▪
You don't get a second chance - fatal wounds stay fatal.
sporting chance (of doing sth)
▪
After all, you are meant to give the quarry a sporting chance.
the chance/experience etc of a lifetime
▪
Jim assured him that hearing me sing was the experience of a lifetime , but Dad wasn't having that.
▪
There is also the chance of a lifetime for the talented teams who win through to the final.
▪
This was the chance of a lifetime .
▪
We are offering the experience of a lifetime , and it seems to appeal to people from all over the world.
try/chance your luck
▪
Akinbiyi was next up to try his luck after 25 minutes, following a great break from the left touchline.
▪
And if Mr. Birt does find himself out of a job, he could always try his luck as a timeshare salesman.
▪
But the next time Berger tried his luck , it produced a spectacular dividend.
▪
He squatted down with a stick to try his luck .
▪
Moments later Pauleta tried his luck with a fizzing 30-yarder, but Shay Given got a hand to it.
▪
Well, I strongly recommend that you try your luck on any wide verges close to towns.
▪
Why not try your luck and help others at the same time?
▪
Without a pub to be seen for miles we decided to try our luck in the bar of the hilton.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Before we had received a reply, Fitzroy Maclean chanced to call at my office.
▪
He chanced it with the bouncers.
▪
There they chanced on the ruins of a temple, where among the broken walls an old monk had established his hermitage.
▪
They concealed the horses and made camp among the trees, out of sight of anyone who chanced to pass during the night.
III. adjective
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(not) a ghost of a chance
▪
Is there a ghost of a chance that any of these stories are true?
a game of chance
▪
Poker is a game of chance.
▪
Predicting the outcome is a game of chance.
an eye for/on/to the main chance
half a/the chance
▪
As McKinsey laments, given half a chance they revert to old habits.
▪
Given half a chance, his body was healing, repairing itself.
▪
If the people are given half a chance there is hope for a return to it's colourful and vibrant past.
▪
It's the trees they go for, given half a chance.
▪
It possesses a large number of small but very sharp teeth and can inflict a painful bite if given half a chance.
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That's nothing on how good they could be, given half a chance.
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You had to grow up and get into the lycée to have half a chance with him.
have a fighting chance
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All children must have a fighting chance at a good education.
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And that has encouraged the Geordies to believe they still have a fighting chance of keeping him.
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Central defender Tony Mowbray believes his former team have a fighting chance at Old Trafford.
leap at the chance/opportunity
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It would be naive to believe that there aren't lots of people who would leap at the opportunity.
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Some may leap at the chance.
miss a chance/opportunity
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It would be unforgivable to miss this opportunity to travel.
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He didn't miss an opportunity.
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He must not miss a chance when it comes through being preoccupied with something else.
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History was being catalogued here, the missed opportunities, blunders, and outright mistakes.
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However, though I had missed a chance, the advantages were now all on my side and distinctly in my favour.
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It was a missed opportunity that they might never regain.
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Now, as many times before, the City is missing a chance to put the system right.
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The missed opportunities and hidden costs for Zappo were enormous.
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The snakes are sometimes hard to find, so the Webers never miss a chance to make a kill.
not have a dog's chance
not have a snowball's chance in hell
not stand/have a cat in hell's chance (of doing sth)
rate sb's chances (of doing sth)
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But few analysts rate the chances of Washington's prefered successors very highly.
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But officials will not rate the survival chances above 50 percent until a month after birth.
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How high do you rate my chances?
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I didn't really rate his chances of living that long.
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The doctors rated his chances as virtually nil.
second chance
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Boone will have to prove in his second chance that he can delegate and teach.
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Creative football that created the big chance - a second chance at Wembley.
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Fornek got a second chance at close range as Gingrich was leaving the luncheon.
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He'd been offered a second chance of salvation.
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In what other sports is a participant allowed a second chance because of failure?
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It was his addled understanding of the rules of warfare that the marksman should be given a second chance.
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Or that rarity, a second chance?
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You don't get a second chance - fatal wounds stay fatal.
seize a chance/an opportunity/the initiative
stand a chance/hope (of doing sth)
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You'll stand a better chance of getting a job with a degree.
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C., woman fumed outside the museum where a crowd stood hoping to get a ticket to hear Wiesel.
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Dougal didn't struggle: even if he could have got out of the duvet, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
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In the face of Queeensrÿche they didn't stand a chance.
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No Labour rethink that ignores this will stand a chance of success in the future.
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Schools from across the country craved his talents, but only two stood a chance.
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The rest must keep pace if they are to stand a chance-advertising works.
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The women stand a chance in the foil competition with Charlene DiMiceli.
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This was the crunch match they really had to win to stand a chance of staying up.
the chance/experience etc of a lifetime
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Jim assured him that hearing me sing was the experience of a lifetime , but Dad wasn't having that.
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There is also the chance of a lifetime for the talented teams who win through to the final.
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This was the chance of a lifetime .
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We are offering the experience of a lifetime , and it seems to appeal to people from all over the world.
try/chance your luck
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Akinbiyi was next up to try his luck after 25 minutes, following a great break from the left touchline.
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And if Mr. Birt does find himself out of a job, he could always try his luck as a timeshare salesman.
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But the next time Berger tried his luck , it produced a spectacular dividend.
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He squatted down with a stick to try his luck .
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Moments later Pauleta tried his luck with a fizzing 30-yarder, but Shay Given got a hand to it.
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Well, I strongly recommend that you try your luck on any wide verges close to towns.
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Why not try your luck and help others at the same time?
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Without a pub to be seen for miles we decided to try our luck in the bar of the hilton.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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A chance encounter at the conference gave him the opportunity to tell the professor about his work.
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Their friendship was the result of a chance meeting.
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Wilson hoped his chance discovery would benefit poor families in developing nations.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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I was not responsible for the chance encounter that allowed the virus to slip into my bloodstream in the summer of 1944.
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Official archaeology views it as the chance remains of a glacier.
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On the other hand, some archaeologists dismiss all leys as merely chance alignments without proper statistical investigation.
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Sometimes chance discovery directs research on to new and profitable lines.
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The chance look and request for a bed for the night brings Zacheaus down from his sycamore tree.