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.

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

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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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