Let the chips fall where they may

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Grammarist

Let the chips fall where they may has an idiom with an interesting origin. We will examine the meaning of the idiom let the chips fall where they may, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.

Let the chips fall where they may is an idiom that means to be satisfied with the results of something. The phrase is usually used when one is doing everything one can to achieve a certain outcome, but at a certain point, the outcome is out of one’s hands and whatever will happen, will happen. The unspoken sentiment in let the chips fall where they may is that one has done everything possible and is at peace with the consequences, or one has acted in good conscience and in line with one’s morals and is at peace with the consequences. Let the chips fall where they may is an American idiom that came into use in the late 1800s and refers to wood chips scattering as one chops wood. The image is of one concentrating on the work at hand, not on the inconsequential chips of wood.

Examples

“You’ve got to come out and play your ‘A-game’ every night and play solid football for four quarters and let the chips fall where they may,” Pendleton said. (The Huntington Herald Dispatch)

“He should just come out for what he believes in and let the chips fall where they may,” says Ms. Whitfield, a charter bus driver who is now unemployed due to COVID-19. (The Christian Science Monitor)

“If there’s not going to be information that shows that it is safe, I can’t just go in and let the chips fall where they may in terms of my long-term health,” Milstein said. (The Tennessean)