Skip to main content
to roll a Yahtzee

to roll a Yahtzee

9.1
To throw five dice that show the same number in Yahtzee
  • idiom
  • Jargon
translation icon : sacar un Yahtzee
  • She was ecstatic when she rolled a Yahtzee with all five dice showing six.

Examples

  • If you roll a Yahtzee, you get fifty points in the standard rules.

  • She was thrilled when she rolled a Yahtzee on her first turn.

  • I've never rolled a Yahtzee despite playing dozens of games.

  • Did you roll a Yahtzee last night?

  • I can't believe I rolled a Yahtzee on my first turn!

  • If you roll a Yahtzee, you score fifty points in the game.

  • I've always wanted to roll a Yahtzee and win the game.

Antonyms

898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

Surface Forms

roll a Yahtzee infinitive
rolled a Yahtzee past participle
rolling a Yahtzee present participle
rolls a Yahtzee third person singular

Morphology

roll + a + Yahtzee

The verb 'roll' (to throw dice) combined with the proper name 'Yahtzee' makes the general idea (making a game-related roll) predictable, but the specific meaning — achieving five identical dice on one throw — depends on knowledge of the game's rules and is not derivable from the words themselves. Because the expression relies on a culturally specific game term rather than compositional semantics, it is only partially predictable to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Roll a Yahtzee comes from the dice game Yahtzee and describes the rare moment you roll five dice and they all show the same number, a very special throw. That's why 'to roll a Yahtzee' means to get the game's top score on a single throw.