toss up

British  

verb

1. to spin (a coin) in the air in order to decide between alternatives by guessing which side will fall uppermost

2. (tr) to prepare (food) quickly

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noun

1. an instance of tossing up a coin

2. informal an even chance or risk; gamble

Explanation

A toss-up is a situation that doesn't have one outcome or choice that's clearly better or more likely than another. If it seems like either basketball team could realistically win, you could call that game a toss-up. Your favorite ice cream flavor might be a toss-up between vanilla and strawberry. And if you two candidates for governor are running neck-and-neck, that's another kind of toss-up. The origin of this informal noun is unclear, but it may stem from the practice of tossing a coin to make a decision: "Let's do a toss-up to see who has to walk the dog. Heads I walk him, tails, you do."

Example Sentences

Stafford was under pressure all night, and he doesn’t have the receiving corps to toss up a bunch of 50/50 balls.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2023

It’s a toss up on which look for the U.S. is more roundly despised by critics.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2022

This is another race that experts are calling a "toss up" because it's too close to call right now.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2022

“There are usually only one or two categories that are a little bit of a toss up, and here there’s a handful,” he said.

From Reuters • Sep. 9, 2022

“There he is,” thought Jo, “Poor boy! All alone and sick this dismal day. It’s a shame! I’ll toss up a snowball and make him look out, and then say a kind word to him.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott