hostage to fortune
(chiefly, US) A person or thing whose fate is seen as dependent on chance or luck.
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UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(chiefly, US) A person or thing whose fate is seen as dependent on chance or luck.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(chiefly, Britain) An action, promise, or remark that is considered unwise because it could be difficult to fulfil or could cause trouble later on.
He was very cautious with his words and gave no hostages to fortune.
Origin: From hostage + to + fortune. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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