main chance

noun

1. an opportunity offering the greatest gain:

   Being ambitious, he always had an eye for the main chance.

Word History and Origins

Origin of main chance¹

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

The owner gratifies his taste or his pride by reserving it from cultivation, but he does not forget the main chance.

From Project Gutenberg

The main chance with her seemed to lie in the likelihood that she would find a mother (or a father) in Aunt Maria.

From Project Gutenberg

The big people, the men who run things, they had no such illusions; they had their eye on the main chance all the time.

From Project Gutenberg

I agree with you, but we should probably differ about what constitutes the main chance.

From Project Gutenberg

His ethics are of the Poor Richard school, and the main chance which calls forth all his energy is altogether of the belly.

From Project Gutenberg