chancy business
- noun
:
negocio arriesgado
- Investing in the stock market is a chancy business that requires careful research and timing.
Examples
-
Navigating the job market during a recession is a chancy business, as many companies are downsizing.
-
Rebellion is a very chancy business, and they hang the losers, you know.
Blog text (4) -
Years ago I realized that there is an intrinsic problem in using existing concepts to try and formulate pictures of concepts that have yet to be developed. It's a chancy business, but one tries one's best.
Blog text (21) -
Starting a new business can be a chancy business because many factors can affect its success.
Synonyms
271
5.1
A business or project that involves risk and possible loss
65
3.5
A risky action with an uncertain result that may depend on chance
9
4.4
An activity that could make you lose a lot of money or get hurt
7
9.1
A risky situation where the result depends mostly on luck
1
4.6
An activity or plan that may fail and cause a big loss
A decision that depends mostly on chance
Antonyms
How Risky
- Informal
9
4.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an activity that involves risk' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'chancy' (risky, uncertain) with 'business' (an undertaking or activity). This simple adjective + noun composition follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Chancy business comes from the idea of gambling: if something is chancy, it depends on 'luck' like a bet, and adding business just means an activity. So, calling something a chancy business means it is 'risky' or 'uncertain'.