you never can tell

Idioms  

1. Also, you never know. Perhaps, possibly, one can't be certain, as in You never can tell, it might turn into a beautiful day, or You may yet win the lottery—you never know. The first term uses tell in the sense of “discern,” a usage dating from the late 1300s; the variant dates from the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

Doudrop apparently turned on Eva Marie after the match, but with WWE, you never can tell for sure.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2021

But he wraps it up in smoke and wind, , though, so you never can tell whether you’ve been tricked or treated.

From The Guardian • Jun. 24, 2020

When it comes to affairs of the heart, you never can tell what will happen.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2019

Fields prefers a doctor though: you never can tell when things will go wrong.

From Slate • Jun. 12, 2013

Max calls her Minefield Muldoon because you never can tell when she’ll blow up over something.

From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt