wanchancy
Britishadjective
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unlucky
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dangerous; risky
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uncanny; eerie
Etymology
Origin of wanchancy
C18: from wanchance ill luck, from wan- prefix expressing negation or privation + chance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The wanchancy bullet maun have weakened his chest, nae doot.
From Huntingtower by John Buchan
Lord save us a’! but it’s an unco life to be a sailor—a cauld, wanchancy life.
From Merry Men by Robert Louis Stevenson
"Indeed, Robin, I'll be better advised before I gie it back to you; it is a wanchancy weapon in a Highlandman's hand, and I am thinking you will be about some barns-breaking."
From International Short Stories English by Various
An’ that wanchancy annual sang I ne’er can send them!”
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 14 (of 25) by Robert Louis Stevenson
Lord save us a’l but it’s an unco life to be a sailor—a cauld, wanchancy life.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI by Robert Louis Stevenson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
