To be out of luck
Meaning
To no longer have any good fortune, opportunity, or a chance for a positive outcome.
Origin
Imagine a card game in a smoky 19th-century saloon, where fortunes could turn on the flip of a card. Piles of silver and gold might glint under the dim lamplight as a player, sweating, lays down their last coin, betting everything on a final hand. When the needed card doesn't appear, and their last chance evaporates, the murmurs around the table would confirm their state: "He's out of luck." This simple, visceral image of fortune's well running dry, especially in games of chance, made "to be out of luck" a perfectly clear and universally understood shorthand. It captures that moment when the wheel of fortune stops turning in your favor, leaving you with nothing but the dust of what might have been.
Examples
- I tried to get tickets to the concert, but they sold out an hour ago, so I'm completely out of luck.
- After missing the last bus, she realized she was out of luck for getting home without calling a taxi.