shot in the dark

Idioms  

1. A wild, unsubstantiated guess; also, an attempt that has little chance for success. For example, It was a shot in the dark, but the engineers had a hunch that replacing the valve would make the system work, or You can try looking for your key on the beach, but I think it's a shot in the dark. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

---

Example Sentences

It had all the hallmarks of a gamble, a shot in the dark.

From BBC

It’s just a giant shot in the dark, and instinct.

From Los Angeles Times

As hard rock and heavy metal gained a mainstream foothold in America thanks to MTV, Osbourne leaned into poppier metal sounds on 1983’s “Bark at the Moon” and 1986’s “Shot In The Dark.”

From Salon

“Power Up” also garnered Grammy nominations in 2022 for rock album, rock performance and music video for “Shot in the Dark.”

From Los Angeles Times

It was a "shot in the dark," Wang said, given that the two scientists had never conducted a study in humans.

From Science Daily