beginner's luck

noun

1. the initial good fortune or success commonly supposed to come to a person who has recently taken up a new pursuit, as a sport or game.

   Catching a large trout the first time you go fishing is simply beginner's luck.

Word History and Origins

Origin of beginner's luck¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Idioms and Phrases

Good fortune in a first attempt or effort, as in I often use a brand-new recipe for a dinner party; I trust beginner's luck. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

It was beginner’s luck, not skill, that saved him from slamming into that mountain, Reynolds said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I still think it's beginner's luck, but then lockdown was a long time ago.

Read more on BBC

The 29-year-old initially thought it must have been beginner's luck - but it kept happening.

Read more on BBC

Was the success of “Once” beginner’s luck or simply sparks cast off by one of its leads, Glen Hansard, Carney’s longtime bandmate in the Frames?

Read more on New York Times

And these aren’t cases of beginner’s luck.

Read more on Washington Post