long shot, a

Idioms  

1. A remote possibility of success, as in It's a long shot that Joan will actually finish the marathon, or He may be a good programmer, but he's a long shot for that job. This expression alludes to the inaccuracy of early firearms, which when shot over a distance rarely hit the target. It is commonly used in horseracing for a bet made at great odds. A related phrase is not by a long shot, meaning “not even remotely,” as in I'll never make it to California in three days, not by a long shot. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

If a candidate was a long shot, a well-delivered blow can hasten their downward spiral—though it probably won’t help the candidate who landed the rhetorical punch.

From Slate

The move seemed like a long shot, a bid to extend a career that was realistically probably over.

From New York Times

But even if every country does meet its targets, it will not be enough, not by a long shot — a scary truth that the Paris negotiators acknowledged at the time and that an alarming 2018 report from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed.

From New York Times

In 2005, the school was home to another long shot — a reunion of the Staley twins, Brandon transferring to play football with his brother one final time, both now graduate students.

From Los Angeles Times

Even Loeffler appears to have believed she was a long shot: A month after Isakson announced his retirement last August, she was elected to the board of directors at Georgia Power, the premier electricity provider for the state and largest subsidiary of the Southern Company — a position her Senate appointment would force her to abandon only two months later.

From Salon