English

Verb

let the chips fall where they may

1. (idiomatic) To allow events to unfold naturally; to accept what occurs without prejudice, worry, or regret.
   • 1963, Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle (Random House Digital edition), ISBN 9780385333481, ch. 87:

     [H]e said tinny things to me, thinks like . . . "I want to talk cold turkey to you, man to man!" And he took me down to what he called his "den" in order that we might ". . . call a spade a spade, and let the chips fall where they may."

   • 1988 Jan. 29, Alan Finder, "City Council Wakes Up but Still Lags," New York Times (retrieved 10 Oct 2011):

     "My agenda is to let the Council members come into their own, to be freethinkers and push what they think is right, and let the chips fall where they may," Mr. Vallone said.

   • 2008 May 14, Sean Scully, "Philly's Cop Beating: No Rodney King," Time:

     "We acted very directly, very swiftly, we told the truth and we'll let the investigation play out and let the chips fall where they may."

Usage notes

• Functions as a proverb when used in the imperative mood to express a general directive for how to cope with life's vagaries.

References

• let the chips fall where they may at OneLook Dictionary Search