fluke
B2Informal, occasionally neutral in technical/scientific contexts (parasite, anchor part).
Definition
Meaning
A surprising and unlikely piece of good luck or chance.
An accidental success; a fortunate outcome not resulting from skill or planning. Also, any of various parasitic flatworms, the triangular part of an anchor, or a lobe of a whale's tail.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The 'lucky chance' sense is most common in everyday speech. It inherently carries a nuance of disbelief or pleasant surprise. Its polysemy (parasite, anchor part) is a classic example of homonymy.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or frequency of the 'chance' sense. The term for the anchor part is technical and universal.
Connotations
Universally informal and slightly colloquial for the 'luck' meaning.
Frequency
Equally common in both dialects for the core meaning.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
It was a fluke (that + clause)by (a) flukea fluke of nature/fateVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A fluke of nature (an anomaly)”
- “By a happy fluke”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
'The record profits this quarter were a fluke, not a sustainable trend.'
Academic
'The outlier in the data set was dismissed as a statistical fluke.'
Everyday
'I passed the test by a total fluke—I guessed most answers!'
Technical
'The trematode, or liver fluke, is a common parasite.' (Biology)
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He fluked a goal from the halfway line.
- I can't believe I fluked the highest score.
American English
- She fluked her way into the final round.
- He totally fluked that winning shot.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Finding my lost ring was a real fluke!
- It wasn't skill; it was just a lucky fluke.
- By some incredible fluke, we both booked the same tiny hotel in Rome.
- The initial discovery was considered a fluke, but subsequent experiments confirmed the phenomenon.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
A whale's tail has a FLUKE. Catching a whale with a harpoon in the old days was often a matter of LUCK or a FLUKE.
Conceptual Metaphor
LUCK IS AN OBJECT (a thing you get/have). CHANCE IS A FORCE OF NATURE (a fluke of nature).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating as 'счастливый случай' in every context; 'fluke' emphasises accident over happiness. Do not confuse with the unrelated Russian word.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to describe bad luck (incorrect: *a terrible fluke). Using as a verb for 'to be lucky' (non-standard: *I fluked my way through life).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'fluke' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, 'fluke' specifically refers to a lucky or chance success. For negative chance events, use 'mishap', 'accident', or 'stroke of bad luck'.
Yes, it can be dismissive or insulting, as it implies their achievement was due to pure chance rather than skill or effort.
No, they are etymologically distinct homonyms. The 'luck' sense origin is uncertain, the 'flatfish/parasite' comes from Old English, and the 'anchor part' possibly from a Germanic word for 'wing'.
In its 'luck' sense, it is informal. In biological (parasitic fluke) or nautical (anchor fluke) contexts, it is a standard technical term.