fluke
noun

- an unlikely chance occurrence, especially a surprising piece of luck

- the part of an anchor that fastens in the ground

- one of the two parts that a whale's tail is divided into

- a small flatworm that lives as a parasite inside or on the body of another animal, and can cause disease

Oxford Languages / Cambridge Dictionary / Merriam-Webster

—
WORD ORIGIN

The word fluke was first used in 1857 in reference to a lucky shot at billiards.

Although fluke is usually associated with good luck, it can also be used in a negative or insulting way. For example, if your favorite sports team loses an important game, you could complain that it was just a fluke that the other team won — meaning they didn't deserve to win and somehow got lucky.
 
—
FLUKE OR FATE?

Fluke and fate are two words that are often used interchangeably, but they have very different meanings.

Some people believe that Life, with all its complexity and wonder, is a pure fluke in a vast, purposeless universe — a highly improbable event that happened by chance…. as unlikely as winning first prize in the National Lottery.

Other people believe in Fate and that Life is a predetermined course of events which cannot be changed — “things are meant to be” and that “everything happens for a reason”.

Throughout human history people have believed that Fate could be influenced by lucky charms. In the medieval era, for instance, it was held that the hangman’s noose held special powers. Sick people would wrap the ropes around their heads as a cure for headaches and fevers, gamblers believed that owning a piece of a noose would keep them in good standing with Lady Luck. The ropes were so valuable that hangmen would cut them into pieces for sale as good luck charms.

—
SYNONYMS

accidental success (win), auspicious break, blind luck, FLUKE, fortuitous accident (happening), fortuity, freak occurrence, godsend, good fortune, happy accident, heaven-sent (opportunity), inexplicable/preposterous stroke of luck, karma smiling, Lady Luck (smiling), lucky accident (break, chance, coincidence, fluke, strike), random windfall, serendipitous fluke, sheer good fortune, unexpected blessing, unmerited success, whim of fate, windfall

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation, say something like:

“I sometimes wonder if Life on earth is a pure FLUKE in universe,… or whether something else is going on.”

—
Every month, we spend evening and weekend hours researching and writing your daily OWAD. It remains FREE, AD-free, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers. If you aren’t already, please also consider supporting us - even the equivalent of a single cup of coffee a month will help us cover mailing, site hosting, and maintenance costs. Just head over to our secure DonorBox page:

https://donorbox.org/please-become-a-friend-of-owad-5-3

or bank transfer to Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40
Please use your email-address as ‘Verwendungszweck’

Thanks so much,

Paul Smith
(OWAD-Founder)