mehr Glück als Verstand

German

Etymology

Literally, “more luck than wit”. Compare Dutch meer geluk dan wijsheid.

Phrase

mehr Glück als Verstand

  1. chance, lucky coincidence, a haphazard way of acting that nevertheless yields success
    Ich hatte völlig die Kontrolle über den Wagen verloren, aber mit mehr Glück als Verstand bin ich irgendwie zum Stehen gekommen.
    I had totally lost control of the car, but by pure luck I somehow came to stand still.
    Das war mehr Glück als Verstand! ― That was pure chance!

Usage notes

  • It can mean merely “a good deal of luck” as suggested by the literal translation, but tends to mean “nothing but luck”.
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