the breaks
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the breaks
The way things have unfolded that are beyond one's control. I'm pretty gutted about not getting into the grad school program I wanted, but I guess those are the breaks. The breaks were against us in this game, from poor decisions by the ref to a series of injuries that took our best players out of the match.
See also: break
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
the breaks
Pieces of luck, turns of events, as in No matter how well he pitches, the team always makes fielding errors-that's the breaks, I guess , or There's not much you can do if the breaks are against you. In the singular and modified forms, this term becomes good or bad or lucky break . In the plural form, only the context determines its favorable or unfavorable meaning. [Slang; early 1900s] Also see tough break.
See also: break
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.