“Your guess is as good as mine” is an informal way of admitting that the answer is unknown. It presents the speaker as having no better basis for a prediction or answer than the listener.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer
An informal way to say that the speaker does not know the answer and has no better information than the other person.
Key details
Canonical Formyour guess is as good as mine
Core Meaningan informal way to say that the speaker does not know the answer and has no better information than the other person
Further guidance
Contextual Examples
“When will the power return? Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Which version will ship first? At this point, your guess is as good as mine.”
History Boundary
Current dictionary-supported meaning is published without claiming an exact inventor, coinage date, or absolute first use.
Meaning
an informal way to say that the speaker does not know the answer and has no better information than the other person
Meaning Boundary
It signals shared uncertainty; it does not validate either person’s guess or imply equal expertise in general.
Practical Use
Use “your guess is as good as mine” to admit informally that you do not know the answer and have no better information than the other person.
Tone Boundary
Informal and candid. In professional communication, “I don’t know yet” or “we do not have enough information” may be more direct.
Usage Boundary
Use it for acknowledged uncertainty; it does not mean that either person’s guess is verified or especially reliable.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
Oxford defines “a canary in a/the coal mine” as something that gives an early warning of danger. This guide uses that current figurative meaning without claiming an unsupported exact first use.
The proverb warns against treating an uncertain future success as if it were already secured. It is useful when someone is spending, scheduling, promising, or celebrating on the assumption that an unresolved outcome will go their way.
The idiom points to an incompatibility: someone wants the benefit of one choice without giving up the conflicting benefit of another. It is often used to expose a trade-off that the speaker thinks cannot simply be avoided.
“Keep Your Fingers Crossed” means hope strongly that something happens in the desired way. This guide focuses on the documented modern idiomatic meaning and does not claim an unsupported exact origin date.
“Keep Your Options Open” means to delay a final choice so that different possibilities remain available. The guide stays with current documented meaning and does not add unsupported origin chronology.
“As good as gold” commonly means very well behaved, especially when describing a child; dictionaries also record broader positive uses. The guide stays with documented present-day meaning and does not invent an exact origin or first-use story.
“A blessing in disguise” describes something that initially seems bad or unlucky but later produces a good result. Specialist history places the printed phrase in the mid-eighteenth century, while earlier texts may express similar ideas without proving the same idiom.
