by lot

Describing a method to make a decision or selection by choosing something, often slips of paper, at random. If no one volunteers to be the club's secretary, then we'll have to pick someone by lot. A: "Aw, why me? That's not fair." B: "Come on, you were just picked by lot to do it. Now, please hand out everyone's gifts." I don't understand why our company is being targeted. It's as if we were merely chosen by lot!

by ˈlot

using a method of choosing somebody to do something in which each person takes a piece of paper, etc. from a container and the one whose paper has a special mark is chosen: The committee is chosen by lot and its members change annually.

See also: by, lot

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

See also:

References in classic literature

In the third place, different laws of each community may be adopted; as, for instance, as it seems correspondent to the nature of a democracy, that the magistrates should be chosen by lot, but an aristocracy by vote, and in the one state according to a census, but not in the other: let, then, an aristocracy and a free state copy something from each of them; let them follow an oligarchy in choosing their magistrates by vote, but a democracy in not admitting of any census, and thus blend together the different customs of the two governments.

View in context

Lot's seduction appears in the right roundel [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 6 OMITTED], represented by his two daughters embracing him and by Lot responding, his arms around each girl.

Titian's pastoral scene: a unique rendition of Lot and his daughters

By lot 73, the auction was heading for pounds 2million.

GOING GOING GOWN; MIRROR MAN TELLS HOW HE BOUGHT A DRESS IN pounds 2M SALE OF DI CENTURY

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