A wild guess or attempt made without much information or hope of success; an action taken with little chance of achieving the desired result.
This phrase dates to the 1880s and literally refers to firing a gun in darkness without being able to see the target clearly. The metaphor naturally extended to describe any attempt made without adequate knowledge or preparation.
There's something beautifully desperate yet hopeful about a 'shot in the dark' – it captures that human tendency to try something, anything, when we're out of better options. The phrase suggests both the randomness of the attempt and the courage required to make it.
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