Hope against hope? 抱一线希望_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Hope against hope? 抱一线希望

Reader question:

Please explain "hoping against hope" in this sentence: "I am hoping against hope it will be towards the end of the week and they will be able to be considered for the weekend, in particular Steven who is ahead of Daniel, but I don't know if that is the case.""

My comments:

I have no idea what the speaker is talking about. However, since I know what "hoping against hope" means, I can tell you that whatever the speaker is driving at, he or she knows that they're probably not getting what they want. In the speaker's own words, it's not likely "the case".

Anyways, to hope against hope is literally to HOPE something will happen even though you know that the odds AGAINT that Hope is great.

The odds against? What does that mean?

Odds means chances. So if the odds against something happening is great, it is unlikely to happen. For example, the odds against you winning the million-dollar lottery is high. That means your chances of winning are low. Sorry.

Sorry about that, but I'm merely speaking the truth.

In fact, the chances of anyone winning that lottery are low, okay?

Okay, hope that makes you feel better.

At any rate, the phrase "hope against hope" came straight from the Bible, according to "The Dictionary of Cliches" by James Rogers (Ballantine Books, New York, 1985), via Phrases.org.uk:

To want something keenly even when the odds against getting or achieving it are enormous. The phrase derives from the Bible (Romans 4:18): Saint Paul is writing about Abraham, 'Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken.'