#156. [Absence of assignable cause.] Chance. 2 -- N. chance, indetermination, accident, fortune, hazard, hap, haphazard, chance medley, random, luck, raccroc[obs], casualty, contingence, adventure, hit; fate &c. (necessity) 601; equal chance; lottery; tombola[obs]; toss up &c. 621; turn of the table, turn of the cards; hazard of the die, chapter of accidents, fickle finger of fate; cast of the dice, throw of the dice; heads or tails, flip of a coin, wheel of Fortune; sortes[obs], sortes Virgilianae[obs].
probability, possibility, odds; long odds, run of luck; accidentalness; main chance, odds on, favorable odds.
contingency, dependence (uncertainty) 475; situation (circumstance) 8.
statistics, theory of Probabilities, theory of Chances; bookmaking; assurance; speculation, gaming &c. 621.
V. chance, hap, turn up; fall to one's lot; be one's -fate &c. 601; stumble on light upon; take one's chance &c. 621.
Adj. casual, fortuitous, accidental, adventitious, causeless, incidental, contingent, uncaused, undetermined, indeterminate; random, statistical; possible &c. 470; unintentional &c. 621.
Adv. by chance, accidentally, by accident; casually; perchance &c. (possibly) 470; for aught one knows; as good would have it, as bad would have it, as luck would have it, as ill-luck would have it, as chance would have it; as it may be, as it may chance, as it may turn up, as it may happen; as the case may be.
Phr. " grasps the skirts of happy chance " [Tennyson]; " the accident of an accident " [Lord Thurlow]. "There but for the grace of God go I." 2. CONNECTION BETWEEN CAUSE AND EFFECT