Striking It Rich

To "strike it rich" is to suddenly become wealthier. It evokes the idea of a miner suddenly discovering a large nugget of gold.

Example: "Wow, Tom really did strike it rich on the stock market. I thought he didn't know what he was doing.. Maybe he just got lucky?"

Beating The Odds

"Beating the odds" means overcoming improbability. That is, something is not likely to happen, but either by luck or skill (or a little of both), it happens anyway.

Example: "Oh my god, Lisa beat the odds and made money gambling at that casino. What are the chances of that?"

Note that the odds of this happening to you are quite low...

A Fool's Paradise

"A fool's paradise" is an expression dating from the time of William Shakespeare's plays, meaning a state of happiness built upon false and misplaced hopes.

Example: "Tom's living in a fool's paradise. He thinks he's going to get rich trading stocks, but he doesn't know anything about finance!"

That Remains To Be Seen

"That remains to be seen" is an idiomatic expression used in response to a statement. It is an expression of skepticism and doubt related to two sayings: "seeing is believing," and "don't believe everything you hear."

Example: "Analysts predict gas prices will actually start falling toward the end of May, as refineries increase production and more gas becomes available. That remains to be seen: Many analysts failed to predict the prices drivers are paying now, caught off-guard by surging oil prices." Source

A Blue Rose

In times past, a blue rose was an expression signifying the impossible, the unattainable, something that exists in fantasy alone, not in nature. 


Perhaps it can still be said that blue roses do not exist in nature. Once, white roses were dyed blue; now, blue roses can be produced thanks to genetic engineering. In spite of this, blue roses continue to hold their old meaning.

As a result of their "main" meaning, blue roses signify romantic feelings, love at first sight, and hope that things that seem unattainable at first (like love with a particular person, or prosperity in the future) are indeed attainable. This is an optimistic spin but remains part of the message that the flower can be used to send.

Of course, a person may use "a blue rose" to describe something extremely rare or normally impossible.

You've Gotta Be Kidding Me

This is a modern, informal version of "You must be joking." It is an expression of disbelief regarding something another person has said.

Example: "I heard that Mary-Ann is going to marry Frank in two months." "You've gotta be kidding me! There's no way she'd get together with a boring man like that!" This is an expression of complete disbelief.

Although idioms in general are not "formal English," expressions like "gotta be" ("have got to be") are informal; they are slang, and should never be used in formal situations. This particular idiom/ expression is nonetheless extremely common in American English.