crapshoot

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "crapshoot" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a situation that is unpredictable or based on chance. Example: "Investing in that startup felt like a total crapshoot." Alternative expressions include "gamble" and "roll of the dice."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Like those marks who pick Gonzaga to go to the Final Four every year because they're "due", we never break the cycle because we can never acknowledge the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves – our passions, our prejudices, our inability to behold the entire thing as the crapshoot it is.

The Guardian - Sport

Financing a film means raising the investment at the start, and then it is a bit of a crapshoot.

The Economist

That has turned the all-but-interminable Belmont Stakes into a little more than a crapshoot, decreasing the odds of a victory by the favourite.

The Economist

Dan Hilferty, the chief executive of Independence Blue Cross, in Pennsylvania, says that setting rates this year was somewhat of a "crapshoot", as he didn't know who would sign up.

The Economist

In documenting the historical crapshoot of the last 200 years, there have been few losers more assiduous than the Chinese.

The Economist

IF ITS bruising battles over financial reform, health care and stimulus have taught Barack Obama anything, it's that sending policy proposals to Congress can be a crapshoot.

The Economist

The second is basically a total crapshoot.

The Economist

Out in the open water of the Octagon centre, however, it will be crapshoot for the former champion, and one that could find him with a 'Wonderboy' shin wrapped around the side of his head.

Independent

It's only when it comes to picking the winners that everyone votes in every category and the whole thing becomes little better than a crapshoot.

Independent

It did beg the question of faith — that crapshoot of survival.

The New Yorker

On the "Tonight Show" he said that adoption was a "crapshoot," and tweaked the rich and famous for adopting overseas, instead of finding American kids in need of homes.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Place the term within quotation marks if you feel the tone of your piece is slightly more formal than the word implies, as seen in various high-tier news snippets.

Common error

Avoid using "crapshoot" in strictly formal contexts like legal contracts, scientific abstracts or academic theses. In these cases, the term may appear unprofessional; opt for "unpredictable outcome" or "stochastic process" instead.

Linguistic Context

The word "crapshoot" functions as a noun used to characterize a venture or situation whose outcome is dictated by chance rather than skill or logic. According to Ludwig, it is frequently used as a predicate nominative (e.g. "It is a "crapshoot"") to emphasize the futility of prediction.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

96%

Sports Analysis

2%

Business & Finance

1%

Less common in

Academic Writing

0.5%

Legal Documents

0.3%

Science & Research

0.2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The term "crapshoot" is a robust and evocative noun used to describe situations where the outcome is entirely unpredictable. Based on the data from Ludwig, the phrase is a favorite among top-tier journalists for describing complex or volatile systems like sports postseasons, film financing and political appointments. While it retains an informal edge, its presence in authoritative sources like The New York Times and The Economist confirms its utility in professional storytelling. Ludwig AI confirms that the phrase is grammatically correct and widely understood as a synonym for a "gamble" or a "roll of the dice". Writers should feel confident using it to convey the randomness of life's many gambles.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

gamble

Uses a more common verb/noun that implies a calculated risk rather than pure chaos.

roll of the dice

Idiomatic expression that emphasizes the random nature of the outcome similar to a game of craps.

toss-up

Focuses on a situation where there are two equally likely outcomes.

coin flip

Suggests a 50/50 chance of success or failure.

game of chance

A more formal way to describe a situation governed by luck.

lottery

Implying that success is extremely rare and depends entirely on fortune.

hit-or-miss

Focuses on the inconsistency of results rather than just the risk.

shot in the dark

Implies an attempt made with little to no information or certainty.

lucky dip

British English equivalent suggesting a random selection from a variety of options.

wild card

Refers to an unpredictable element or person that could change the outcome.

FAQs

How do I use "crapshoot" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe any situation where the result is uncertain, such as: "Predicting the stock market is often a total "crapshoot"." It functions similarly to saying it is a "gamble".

What is another way to say "crapshoot"?

Depending on the context, you can use phrases like "roll of the dice", "toss-up" or "game of chance".

Is "crapshoot" one word or two?

In modern English, it is almost exclusively written as a single word: "crapshoot". Writing it as two words is generally considered outdated.

Is the term "crapshoot" offensive?

No, it is not offensive. While it originates from the dice game "craps", it is a standard, albeit informal, metaphorical term for an "unpredictable" venture.