a hostage to fortune

a hostage to fortune
a hostage to fortune an act or remark regarded as unwise because it invites trouble in the future.
Main Entry: hostage

English terms dictionary. 2015.

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  • a hostage to fortune — an act, commitment, or remark that is regarded as unwise because it invites trouble or could prove difficult to live up to making objectives explicit is to give a hostage to fortune * * * a hostage to fortune ◇ In British English, a hostage to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • (a) hostage to fortune — a hostage to fortune phrase an action, remark, or situation that may cause you problems in the future Thesaurus: people and things that cause worry or problemshyponym small and minor problemssynonym Main entry: hostage * * * a ˌhostage to… …   Useful english dictionary

  • (a) hostage to fortune — formal if something is a hostage to fortune, it could be harmed by things that happen in the future. Inviting terrorists to take part in the talks has created a hostage to fortune …   New idioms dictionary

  • give a hostage to fortune — formal, formal if something gives a hostage to fortune, it may cause problems in the future. She could never be president because her journalistic work gives too many hostages to fortune …   New idioms dictionary

  • a hostage to fortune — an act or remark seen as unwise because it invites trouble. → hostage …   English new terms dictionary

  • give hostage to fortune — verb To take an action or make a statement that is risky because it could cause you trouble later. , He was very cautious with his words and gave no hostages to fortune …   Wiktionary

  • hostage — ► NOUN ▪ a person seized or held in order to induce others to comply with a demand or condition. ● a hostage to fortune Cf. ↑a hostage to fortune ORIGIN Old French, from Latin obsidatus the state of being a hostage , from obses hostage …   English terms dictionary

  • a hostage to fortune — an action, remark, or situation that may cause you problems in the future …   English dictionary

  • fortune — for|tune W3S3 [ˈfo:tʃən US ˈfo:r ] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(money)¦ 2¦(chance)¦ 3¦(what happens to you)¦ 4 tell somebody s fortune ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1200 1300; : French; Origin: Latin fortuna] 1.) ¦(MONEY)¦ a ver …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • hostage */ — UK [ˈhɒstɪdʒ] / US [ˈhɑstɪdʒ] noun [countable] Word forms hostage : singular hostage plural hostages a person who is the prisoner of someone who threatens to kill them if they do not get what they want The President is making every effort to… …   English dictionary

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