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Stand a Chance


The phrase 'Stand a Chance' means to have a chance of success (usually negative).

Example of Use: "We might stand a chance of winning if we continue to play as well as we did today."


Interesting fact about Stand a Chance

No one is certain of the origin of the idiom 'stand a chance' but the idea is a very old one dating back to the 1300s. The word 'chance' meaning 'fortune, luck, or situation' comes from the Old French cheance. The first time the term 'stand a chance' was recorded was in 1796 in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: “Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their chance.” Variations are seen in earlier writings from the 1700s.