crystal ball
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6.9
- noun
- /ˈkrɪstl bɔl/
:
bola de cristal
- The fortune-teller held out her crystal ball, inviting me to see what was in store for me.
Even the best stock pickers don't have crystal balls, meaning that we don't know the future.
- Even the best stock pickers don't have crystal balls, meaning that we don't know the future.
- And well, I just, I, I, I have no crystal ball.
- And it's like you got to look in a crystal ball because as we know what's offensive today, right?
- Well, I wish if I had a crystal ball, I would, I would be in different category.
- What what happened is the crystal ball is showing failure.
Examples
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But before I see the future in my crystal ball...
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You know, I don't have a crystal ball, but I see a future of this world like we've never seen before.
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So what do you see the future if you had a crystal ball, given your life experience?
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I will return to my crystal ball.
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Do you have a crystal ball?
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What does the crystal ball say, hmm?
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Your crystal ball is beautiful.
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What does your crystal ball say about, you know, retail, the spend this holiday?
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So Ted, what's your crystal ball saying about the future of CalPERS?
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Even the best stock pickers don't have crystal balls, meaning that we don't know the future.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal composition 'crystal' (a glass-like material) + 'ball' (a spherical object) clearly yields a spherical object made of crystal, so the physical referent is transparent. However, the conventionalized function as a divination tool used by fortune-tellers is culturally specific and not fully predictable from the parts, so learners who only know the words may not infer the fortune-telling meaning.
Etymology
Crystal ball comes from fortune-tellers who used a clear glass ball and stared into it until lights and shapes seemed to appear. That's why crystal ball now means a tool or image people use to try to 'see the future' or guess what will happen.