unknown quantity
1
7.1
- noun
:
incógnita
- And since I was a bit of an unknown quantity and smart-but-not-genius academically, I was largely on my own to pay for those first years as far as the Department was concerned.
Examples
-
Since a new author is an unknown quantity to the book browser, the reviews serve as added information to make a snap judgment call.
Blog text (22) -
As a rookie, she was considered an unknown quantity in the league, making her potential difficult to assess.
-
Was of particular importance to a President who was an unknown quantity to the Stanford community.
-
You know, I wasn't an unknown quantity when I got there.
-
He's not an unknown quantity.
Blog text (22) -
And yes, I still find all of this hollering agreement about an unknown quantity "creepy."
Blog text (22) -
Despite the repeated claims by Obama administration officials that the rebels are a largely unknown quantity, it is becoming increasingly clear that key military leaders of the anti-Gaddafi campaign are well known to the US government and have longstanding relations with the CIA.
Blog text (22) -
The new employee is an unknown quantity to the rest of the team, so they are eager to see how he performs.
-
Investors often avoid projects with too many unknown quantities, as they prefer predictable outcomes.
Synonyms
41
6.1
Something you do not know or cannot identify, for example a variable in math
How Predictable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'unknown' (not known) and 'quantity' (an amount) yield a clear literal sense of 'an amount that is not known', so part of the meaning is compositional. However, the common use to mean a person or thing with unpredictable abilities or influence is a metaphorical extension of 'quantity' to evaluative traits and may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
Unknown quantity also comes from that math image and is used for people or things; calling someone an unknown quantity compares them to a number you have not seen, so their skills or effect are 'not yet known' and hard to predict.