it's a toss-up
it's an unpredictable situation
TRANSLATION
it's a toss-up = es ist völlig offen --- GOOGLE INDEX (it's a) toss-up: approximately 1,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The best actor race is really a TOSS-UP between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger...
(BBC News)
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In an ideal world, England goalkeepers David James, Joe Hart and Rob Green would all find themselves on the bench. Unfortunately one of them has to play; it's a bit of a TOSS-UP as to which...
(The Guardian)
(BBC News)
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In an ideal world, England goalkeepers David James, Joe Hart and Rob Green would all find themselves on the bench. Unfortunately one of them has to play; it's a bit of a TOSS-UP as to which...
(The Guardian)
Did you
know?
it's a toss-up
idiom
- a situation in which any of two or more outcomes or options is equally possible.
(Oxford Compact Dictionary)
---
In some sports competitions such as football, a referee flips - or tosses - a coin to give one team the option of starting the game on offence or deciding which goal to defend. This is referred to as the coin toss or toss-up and is the origin of the idiom "it's a toss-up."
This expression is frequently used in politics for instance, such as when two candidates are running for office and the race is very close (Race for mayor of London a toss-up.) But it can be applied to any situation where the outcome is uncertain (It's a toss-up as to whether we will get approved for a loan to purchase a home).
Toss is also used in several other idioms as the following examples illustrate:
- toss aside = to throw something or someone out of the way (He tossed the other passengers aside and rushed to be the first one off the plane.)
- toss a salad = to mix various salad ingredients together (I'll toss the salad right before the guests arrive.)
- toss around = to discuss something (They tossed around the idea of going to the Bahamas on holiday.)
- toss down/toss back = to drink something quickly (He tossed down a beer and ordered another one.)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"As to who will win the World Cup, I think it's a toss-up between Germany and Holland."
idiom
- a situation in which any of two or more outcomes or options is equally possible.
(Oxford Compact Dictionary)
---
In some sports competitions such as football, a referee flips - or tosses - a coin to give one team the option of starting the game on offence or deciding which goal to defend. This is referred to as the coin toss or toss-up and is the origin of the idiom "it's a toss-up."
This expression is frequently used in politics for instance, such as when two candidates are running for office and the race is very close (Race for mayor of London a toss-up.) But it can be applied to any situation where the outcome is uncertain (It's a toss-up as to whether we will get approved for a loan to purchase a home).
Toss is also used in several other idioms as the following examples illustrate:
- toss aside = to throw something or someone out of the way (He tossed the other passengers aside and rushed to be the first one off the plane.)
- toss a salad = to mix various salad ingredients together (I'll toss the salad right before the guests arrive.)
- toss around = to discuss something (They tossed around the idea of going to the Bahamas on holiday.)
- toss down/toss back = to drink something quickly (He tossed down a beer and ordered another one.)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"As to who will win the World Cup, I think it's a toss-up between Germany and Holland."
