don't tempt fate
Don't do something that invites bad luck or an unpleasant outcome, especially by showing one's confidence. A: "I'm going to ace this exam." B: "Now, now, don't tempt fate." A: "Hopefully we'll be able to start building by the end of the week." B: "Don't tempt fate. We're still waiting on our application to be approved, and there's still a lot that can go wrong with that process." A: "It's been pretty quiet on the floor today?" B: "What is wrong with you? Don't tempt fate by saying something like that!"
don't tempt the gods
Don't do something that invites bad luck or an unpleasant outcome, especially by showing one's confidence. A: "I'm going to ace this exam." B: "Now, now, don't tempt the gods." A: "Hopefully we'll be able to start building by the end of the week." B: "Don't tempt the gods. We're still waiting on our application to be approved, and there's still a lot that can go wrong with that process." A: "It's been pretty quiet on the floor today?" B: "What is wrong with you? Don't tempt the gods by saying something like that!"
tempt (one) into (something or some place)
1. To entice or allure one to enter some place or thing. The beautiful woman kept giving the married man flirty looks to try to tempt him into the hot tub with her. There's no way you could tempt me into some underwater cage surrounded by sharks!
2. To entice or allure one to do something. A: "Could I tempt you into joining our company?" B: "No thanks, I'm very happy in my current job." The promise of adventure and a guaranteed job placement is tempting me into moving to Japan to teach English.
tempt (one) to (do something)
To entice or allure one to do something. A: "Could I tempt you to join our company?" B: "No thanks, I'm very happy in my current job." The promise of adventure and a guaranteed job placement is tempting me to move to Japan to teach English.
tempt (someone or an animal) with (something)
To entice, attract, or allure someone or an animal with something. I really don't want to relocate to Alaska, but the company is tempting me with a huge bonus. We tried tempting the lion with a slab of meat, but it refused to leave its cage.
tempt fate
1. To do something that one knows is dangerous or likely to have a negative outcome. You're really tempting fate by not taking your car in for service when all these dashboard lights are on.
2. To invite bad luck or unpleasant situations by showing one's confidence in something. I'm afraid to tempt fate, but I really think I did well on the exam.
tempt the gods
1. To do something that one knows is dangerous or likely to have a negative outcome. You're really tempting the gods by not taking your car in for service when all these dashboard lights are on. They're going to tempt the gods if they roll back those regulations before the economy has completely recovered.
2. To invite bad luck or an unpleasant outcome, often by showing one's confidence in something. I'm afraid to tempt the gods, but I really think I did well on the exam. His parents tempted the gods by naming their son "Success." Sure enough, he's anything but in his life.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
tempt someone into something
to lure or seduce someone into something. Could I tempt you into going swimming? She would not be tempted into eating the rich and fattening cake.
tempt someone to do something
to entice someone to do something. You can't tempt me to eat any of that cake! I wasn't even tempted to go into town with the others.
tempt someone with something
to entice someone with something. Can I tempt you with a bit of chocolate cake? I was tempted with a free book if I sent in my name, but I decided against it.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
tempt fate
Also, tempt the fates. Take a severe risk, as in It's tempting fate to start up that mountain so late in the day, or Patrice thought driving that old car was tempting the fates; it was sure to break down . This expression uses tempt in the sense of "test in a way that involves risk or danger." Earlier idioms with a similar meaning were tempt God, dating from the 1300s, and tempt fortune, first recorded in 1603, with fate appearing about 1700.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tempt fate
COMMON
1. If someone tempts fate, they take unnecessary risks or do something that may bring them bad luck. They charged the organisers with tempting fate by sending so many ill-prepared crews into such dangerous waters. Note: You can also say that someone tempts providence. I used to take the most appalling risks because it was in my nature to push everything to the extreme. I was tempting providence all the time.
2. If you tempt fate, you talk too confidently about something which may go wrong. While I wouldn't want to tempt fate, almost every time this team has been put under pressure, they've triumphed. Note: You can also say that someone tempts providence. I'm 36 and I'd hate to tempt providence and say I'm going to get pregnant.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
tempt fate (or providence)
act rashly. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
tempt ˈfate/ˈprovidence
take a risk or do something dangerous: ‘I don’t think I’ll insure my boat.’ ‘Don’t tempt fate. It’s best to insure it.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
tempt fate, to
To expose to danger, to risk something. This expression dates from about 1700, when it replaced the earlier to tempt fortune. It appeared in John Dryden’s translation of one of the satires of Juvenal (1693): “Thy Perjur’d Friend will quickly tempt his Fate.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer