as the wind blows
1
8.0
- idiom
- Her mood shifts as the wind blows, making her difficult to predict.
Examples
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Political alliances form and dissolve as the wind blows in this volatile government.
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You have to adapt as the wind blows.
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We made plans, but we might change them as the wind blows.
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Life can change quickly, just as the wind blows.
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Her mood shifts as the wind blows, making her difficult to predict.
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Political alliances form and dissolve as the wind blows in this volatile government.
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We might change our plans as the wind blows depending on circumstances.
Synonyms
Changing often in ways you cannot predict
Antonyms
How Predictable
181
2.5
11
3.5
- Specialized
170
4.2
9
3.5
1
8.0
644
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes the literal image of wind blowing, and a learner who knows 'wind' and 'blow' can infer a sense of movement or change, but the specific sense of unpredictability or shifting circumstances is a metaphorical extension rather than a direct compositional meaning. This mapping is plausible for many learners (and exists in other languages), but it requires metaphorical inference and pragmatic knowledge, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
As the wind blows comes from the image of the wind turning and moving things like flags or leaves one way one moment and another the next. So it means 'unpredictable' or 'likely to change quickly'.