to ride luck
- phrasal verb
- Informal
- Sometimes you just have to ride luck and see where it takes you.
Examples
-
She managed to win the competition by riding luck and trusting her instincts.
-
He tends to ride luck when making business investments, hoping things turn out well.
-
Don't ride luck when making important decisions!
-
She always rides luck in her business ventures.
-
To succeed in this game, you sometimes have to ride luck and hope for the best.
-
He successfully rides luck in risky ventures, often benefiting from unexpected opportunities.
-
It's not wise to always ride luck; planning can lead to better outcomes.
Synonyms
To do something risky hoping for a good result
Do something risky hoping to do well
To risk doing something hoping for a good result
Try a risky action hoping it will work
To try something risky when the result is not certain
To rely on good luck instead of working for success
To try something without planning or skill and hope that luck helps
Antonyms
How Risky
- Informal
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to take risks or rely on good fortune' is partly inferable because 'ride' can be metaphorically extended to mean being carried by or making use of something (as in 'ride a wave') and 'luck' clearly denotes fortuitous outcomes. However, this metaphorical composition is not fully literal or predictable and may require prior exposure (e.g., 'ride your luck' / 'ride one's luck'), so a B1 learner who only knows the component words might not immediately grasp the exact idiomatic usage.
Etymology
Ride luck may come from the image of someone riding a wild horse called Luck, holding on while the ride goes well but risking a fall. So, it means 'to take risks' or 'rely on good fortune' to succeed.