in the cards

1. Likely or certain to happen, as in I don't think Jim will win—it's just not in the cards. This term, originally put as on the cards, alludes to the cards used in fortune-telling. [Early 1800s]

Related Words

• anticipation 
• chance 
• expectation 
• forecast 
• future 
• hope 
• likelihood 
• plan 
• possibility 
• probability 
• promise 
• proposal 
• thought