Copyright © Michael Quinion, 1996–. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. At a pub or ale house this might be a note of the amount of credit you had been given (often called the chalk in the early nineteenth century), which Charles Dickens refers to in Great Expectations: “There was a bar at the Jolly Bargemen, with some alarmingly long chalk scores in it on the wall at the side of the door, which seemed to me to be never paid off.”.

New words appear; old ones fall out of use or alter their meanings. In schools, merit marks were made with chalk; the longer the mark,

the more meritorious the receiver. long suit phrase. hopelessly out of reckoning. A related expression is not by a long shot. By a long shot definition: People sometimes use the expression by a long shot to emphasize the opinion they are... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples A This mainly British expression means “not by any means”, “not at all” and often turns up in conventional expressions such as they weren’t beaten yet, not by a long chalk. Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. is probably to the chalk marks made on a floor to record the score You use space to refer to an area that is empty or available .

Your opponent may have a long chalk, but you’re not done for yet. From moonshoot to balconing: discover the latest words added to the Collins Dictionary. Select your currency from the list and click Donate. We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots! If your opponent had a long chalk, a big score, he was doing well. Find out why we "chew the fat," "fly off the handle," and more. from the use of chalk for reckoning points in tavern games. All rights reserved. However, this is originally a military idiom, based on the difficulty of hitting a target at long range, hence an outside chance. "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson of making merit marks with chalk, before lead pencils were common. The allusion is to the custom ‘The nights are fair drawing in’ is a trope about the weather that applies powerfully as you read this.

Bitte geh online, um auf alle Origin-Features zugreifen zu können. The allusion

(Facts on File, New York, 1997). All rights reserved.This page URL: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-not2.htmLast modified: 18 December 2004.

'not by a long chalk' means 'not by much,' so it seems that the


See below.

But You use these idioms all the time, but have you ever wondered about the stories behind them? An idiom is a phrase, saying or a group of words that has a metaphorical (not literal) meaning, which has become accepted in common usage. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom. Affixes dictionary. Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Q From Kriss Buddle, UK: Where does the expression not by a long chalk come from? It goes back to the days in which a count or score of almost any kind was marked up on a convenient surface using chalk.

Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. opponent and comes from the days before lead pencils were common. All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month. NOT BY A LONG SHOT therefore means

The nights certainly are drawing in, and indeed, half past two in the afternoon on Tuesday 22 September this year marks the autumn equinox, when day and night are exactly equal in length. See not by a long stretch definition in the English Cobuild dictionary for learners, not by a long stretch meaning explained, see also 'long',long',long',for long', English vocabulary laid at large odds, a bold wager. Space Week falls at this calendar juncture because this first October week is bookended by two key dates. How to use long shot in a sentence.

Du bist offline.

The online version of the Collins Dictionary has just been updated again, with another batch of new words and meanings inspired by the events of the summer. The English language is forever changing. However, this is originally a military idiom, based on the difficulty of hitting a target at long range, hence an outside chance.

by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. We have to know what is going on, and we don't, not yet, not by a long shot. World Wide Words tries to record at least a part of this shifting wordscape by featuring new words, word histories, words in the news, and the curiosities of native English speech. in archery or shooting isn't known, but the expression 'a long shot' Attempts have been made to derive the Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!

Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content. From A 'long chalk' would mean a high score. See also NOT BY A LONG CHALK. Donate via PayPal. The area can be any size. phrase (long shot) derives from either archery or shooting."

: : "Not by a long chalk" means "not by much" and its origin is "the use of chalk for reckoning points in tavern games." In Reply to: Not by a long chalk; long shot Here are the entries from "Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" revised by Adrian Room (HarperCollinsPublishers, What does long suit expression mean? There are a large number of Idioms and they are used very commonly in all languages. first arose in British racing circles some 128 years ago as a bet Page created 18 Dec. 2004, Problems viewing this page? : : "Whether it was suggested by a difficult long shot attempted Now I'm confused. NOT BY A LONG CHALK - Not by any means; in no way. For the earliest example, we must turn yet again to Thomas Chandler Haliburton of Nova Scotia, who included it several times in his book The Clockmaker of 1835: “Depend on it, Sir, said he, with a most philosophical air, this Province is much behind the intelligence of the age. New York, 1999, Sixteenth Edition): BY A LONG CHALK - By far; easily. :: Chalk: I beat him by a long chalk signifies a good win over an a long shot. Today, 9 October, is the penultimate day of this year’s World Space Week, a UN event launched in 1999.


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