Luck out
Meaning
To experience an unexpectedly favorable outcome or acquire something through pure chance.
Origin
The phrase "luck out" emerged in American English during the early 20th century, a time when the language was full of playful experimentation, particularly in the realm of sports, gambling, and informal speech. While the word "luck" itself is ancient, adding "out" to form a phrasal verb intensifies the idea of a definitive and often unexpected victory or escape from a bad situation. It paints a vivid picture of a situation hanging in the balance, where the odds might be against you, and then suddenly, through pure chance, you decisively come out on top—as if a final, fortunate card was drawn or a winning number appeared.
Examples
- She lucked out and got the last ticket to the sold-out concert.
- We totally lucked out with the weather during our beach vacation; it was sunny every day.