pick out of a hat
The phrase "pick out of a hat" originates from the practice of drawing names or lots from a hat to make a random selection.
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Definition
B2General
(informal)To select something or someone at random without specific criteria.
Example
- The winner of the raffle was picked out of a hat.
- The team names were picked out of a hat to ensure fairness.
B2Decision Making
(informal)To make a choice or decision by chance, ensuring equal probability for all options.
Example
- We couldn't decide where to eat, so we picked a restaurant out of a hat.
- The roles in the play were assigned by picking names out of a hat.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "pick out of a hat":
draw strawslucky dippick outdraw the short strawgrab bagchoose up