long shot, a

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]

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.

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But if the prospect of codifying Roe’s protections in Congress seemed like a long shot a year ago, it is all but impossible to imagine now, with an ascendant far-right bloc in the House and a slim Democratic majority in the Senate.

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If Macron’s Republic on the Move party loses its majority, Macron could be faced with a fractured and unruly parliament, the need for elaborate negotiations and possibly, although it’s a long shot, a prime minister hostile to his program.

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

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Though it’s a long shot, a Republican who reels in just 34% of the vote — what Trump received in November — could become California’s 41st governor.

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