Phrases & IdiomsIdiom guide

Your Guess Is as Good as Mine

“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.

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

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

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.

  1. Your guess is as good as mine — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · current idiom meaning

Related guides

Phrases & Idioms

Canary in a Coal Mine

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.

Phrases & Idioms

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

“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.

Phrases & Idioms

Keep Your Options Open

“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.

Phrases & Idioms

Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

“Put All Your Eggs in One Basket” means depending for success on one person, plan, investment, or course of action instead of spreading risk.

Phrases & Idioms

As Good as Gold

“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.

Phrases & Idioms

A Blessing in Disguise

“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.

Phrases & Idioms

A Snowball’s Chance in Hell

The informal idiom “not have a snowball’s chance in hell” describes a situation with essentially no chance of success. This guide limits the page to the current form, register, and meaning supported by Cambridge and does not add an unsupported origin story.

Phrases & Idioms

Actionable Indication of Interest

Actionable Indication of Interest is a current federal securities-regulation defined term. This guide preserves the rule-specific definition and boundaries instead of replacing it with informal market shorthand.

Explore the topic