destiny
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des·ti·ny
(dĕs′tə-nē)destiny
(ˈdɛstɪnɪ)Destiny
(ˈdɛstɪnɪ)des•ti•ny
(ˈdɛs tə ni)n., pl. -nies.
Destiny
[one’s] cup of tea See PREFERENCE.
handwriting on the wall See OMEN.
have [someone’s] number on it To be the instrument of one’s fate, usually the agent which causes someone’s death. Apparently this expression originated from a superstition that one need not fear any bullet unless it has one’s number ‘code by which one may be identified’ on it.
I’m as safe here as … anywhere … if it’s got your number on it, you’ll get it, no matter where you are! (C. Fremlin, By Horror Haunted, 1974)
Currently the expression is also heard in broader contexts where the stakes are not always as high as life and death.
in the cards Likely to happen; probable; a sure bet, foreordained; sometimes on the cards. The phrase derives from either cartomancy or card playing. The earliest citations are from the beginning of the 19th century.
It don’t come out altogether so plain as to please me, but it’s on the cards. (Charles Dickens, Bleak House, 1852)
in the wind Imminent, about to happen; astir, afoot. Dating from the 16th century, this expression may have originally referred to something nearby which can be perceived by means of the wind carrying its scent.
There’s a woman in the wind.… I’ll lay my life on it. (Charles Kingsley, Westward Ho!, 1855)
However, in the wind refers more often to time than to physical distance.
There must be something in the wind, perhaps a war. (Benjamin Disraeli, Vivian Grey, 1826)
kiss of death A relationship or action, often appearing good and well-meaning, which in reality is destructive or fatal; the instrument of one’s downfall or ruination. This expression is a derivative of the earlier phrase Judas kiss, the kiss Judas Iscariot gave Jesus in betraying Him to the authorities in the Garden of Gethsemane and which ultimately led to His death by crucifixion. It has been in use since at least 1948.
Let us hope that the critics’ approval does not, at the box-office, prove a kiss of death. (The Guardian, December, 1960)
See Judas kiss, BETRAYAL.
that’s the way the ball bounces See RESIGNATION.
| Noun | 1. | destiny - an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future inevitable - an unavoidable event; "don't argue with the inevitable" karma - (Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation predestination - previous determination as if by destiny or fate doom, doomsday, end of the world, day of reckoning - an unpleasant or disastrous destiny; "everyone was aware of the approaching doom but was helpless to avoid it"; "that's unfortunate but it isn't the end of the world" |
| 2. | destiny - the ultimate agency regarded as predetermining the course of events (often personified as a woman); "we are helpless in the face of destiny" causal agency, causal agent, cause - any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results occult, supernatural - supernatural forces and events and beings collectively; "She doesn't believe in the supernatural" | |
| 3. |  destiny - your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you); "whatever my fortune may be"; "deserved a better fate"; "has a happy lot"; "the luck of the Irish"; "a victim of circumstances"; "success that was her portion"condition - a mode of being or form of existence of a person or thing; "the human condition" providence - a manifestation of God's foresightful care for his creatures bad luck, ill luck, tough luck, misfortune - an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes failure - lack of success; "he felt that his entire life had been a failure"; "that year there was a crop failure" |
destiny
"Everything comes gradually and at its appointed hour" [Ovid The Art of Love]
"Thy lot or portion of life is seeking after thee; therefore be at rest from seeking after it" [Ali Ibn-Abi-Talib]
"What must be, must be"