noun phrase🎓 English idiom

wild card

an unpredictable person or element

What it means

A wild card is a person, factor, or event whose behavior can't be predicted and could change an outcome in any direction. It's used in sports (an unseeded competitor), politics (an unpredictable voter group), and everyday life about people who don't follow expectations.

Examples

  • He's a wild card in any negotiation — you never know what he'll do.
  • The weather is the real wild card for tomorrow's outdoor event.
  • She got into the tournament as a wild card and made it to the finals.
  • Voter turnout among young people is the wild card of this election.

Where it comes from

From card games like poker, where a wild card can stand in for any other card the player chooses. The figurative use spread through 20th-century sports tournaments (where 'wild card' became a formal entry slot) and then into general speech.

Related idioms

#dark horse#ace in the hole#pipe dream#blessing in disguise

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