to take a flyer
1
8.5
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
arriesgarse
- Every so often I would take a flyer and bet a grand, but mostly it was two or three hundred bucks a game, depending on what I thought of the line.
You willing to you willing to take a flyer on life?
- You willing to you willing to take a flyer on life?
Examples
-
Investors often take a flyer on stocks that are trending, even if they are not fully convinced.
-
You willing to you willing to take a flyer on life?
-
I took a flyer on that score.
Fiction book (2001) -
Don't walk away from a sure fortune to go take a flyer on writing a book.
-
One, they’ve taken a flyer on him, so they should see it through for at least one season, especially since it doesn't look like they’re going anywhere.
Blog text (13) -
She decided to take a flyer on starting her own business, hoping for success despite the risks.
-
After much consideration, he chose to take a flyer on that risky venture, believing it could pay off.
Synonyms
91
3.3
To do something risky hoping for a good result
64
4.0
To take a risk hoping for a good result
56
3.2
Do things that might be dangerous to get something important
45
3.7
To try to do something even when success is uncertain
37
6.1
To risk doing or saying something to support an idea
36
3.8
Do something risky hoping to do well
11
5.7
Make a brave decision even when it feels risky
10
5.3
To try to do something when you are not sure you will succeed
7
4.2
To do something risky hoping to get a good result
7
7.3
Do something without worrying about the risks
5
7.3
Try something risky to get a big reward
4
4.2
Try a risky action hoping it will work
2
3.0
To do something that might lead to harm or loss
1
7.3
To do something risky without knowing what will happen
Take a chance to get a reward
To make a big decision you cannot change that may be risky
Antonyms
How Risky
- Informal
1
8.2
7
4.2
- Informal
1
8.5
91
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to take a risk' is not derivable from the literal parts: 'take' (to receive) plus 'flyer' (a person who flies or a handbill) do not compose to convey 'risk' in a straightforward way. The phrase is idiomatic/informal and its sense of gambling or chance is not predictable from the constituents nor a common cross-linguistic mapping, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely not infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Take a flyer may come from the image of a small paper airplane, a flyer, that you throw into the air and hope it will land well. That's why it now means 'to take a risk'.