worth a shot
12
4.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
valer la pena intentarlo
- I think it's worth a shot.
- definitely worth a shot
- think it's worth a shot
- Yeah, it's worth a shot
Many times they will likely just push it off and say I'm fine, I'm fine, but it's still worth a shot.
- Many times they will likely just push it off and say I'm fine, I'm fine, but it's still worth a shot.
- At that point I was like, I figured this is worth a shot after I said just resolve it yourself, handle it.
Examples
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It is worth a shot.
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If you have a good idea, it's worth a shot to present it to the team.
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- I guess it's worth a shot.
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Anyway, it's worth a shot.
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Yeah, but it's worth a shot.
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I say it's worth a shot.
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- It's worth a shot.
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Well, it's worth a shot.
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It's worth a shot, right?
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But it's worth a shot.
Blog text (26)
Antonyms
How Worthwhile
184
3.5
- Informal
12
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'worth' (to merit or justify) with 'a shot' (an attempt), so the meaning 'worth trying' is directly derivable from the constituent words. This compositional evaluation pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would understand it.
Etymology
Worth a shot comes from the image of taking a shot at a target, like firing a gun or throwing something, where you try once even if you might miss. So, it now means 'worth trying' even when the outcome is not certain.