fluking
Winning by chance
Fluking is succeeding by luck rather than skill—winning or achieving something through chance.
The word often carries a dismissive tone, suggesting the outcome wasn't earned: He's not that good; he's just been fluking his way through the tournament.
In fishing and whaling, fluking refers to a whale raising its tail flukes above the water before diving.
Accidental fortunate discovery
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
- windfallUnanticipated lucky gain
- fortunateEnjoying favorable circumstances
- accidentalOccurring by chance
unintentional · random · unexpected · coincidental · happenstance · fortuitous · unplanned · chancy
Lacking regularity or consistency
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- sporadicOccurring irregularly, infrequently
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
- variableProne to fluctuation
unreliable · uneven · patchy · hit-or-miss · fluctuating · inconsistent · streaky · scattershot
Rear animal appendage
- cetaceanAquatic mammal order
- humpbackBaleen whale species
- divingEntering water deliberately
- breachingBreaking through something
surfacing · whale watching · slapping · propulsion · tail fin · dorsal · sounding · orca
Doing something poorly
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- blunderingActing with clumsy incompetence
- misfiringFailing to ignite properly
misstep · mishap · error · near miss · scraping by · winging it · improvising · muddling through
serendipity
Accidental fortunate discovery
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
- windfallUnanticipated lucky gain
- fortunateEnjoying favorable circumstances
accidental · unintentional · random · unexpected · coincidental · happenstance · fortuitous · unplanned · chancy · freak
erratic
Lacking regularity or consistency
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
- sporadicOccurring irregularly, infrequently
- irregularDeviating from normal patterns
variable · unreliable · uneven · patchy · hit-or-miss · fluctuating · inconsistent · streaky · scattershot · haphazard
tail
Rear animal appendage
breaching · surfacing · whale watching · slapping · propulsion · tail fin · dorsal · sounding · orca · sperm whale
botching
Doing something poorly
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- blunderingActing with clumsy incompetence
misfiring · misstep · mishap · error · near miss · scraping by · winging it · improvising · muddling through
- whalesblue whale, humpback whale, gray whale, fin whale, right whale
- Whalingharpoon gun, harpoon guns, flensing, whaling ships, whaling station
flukingmastering
Attaining full command
earning · planning · strategizing · practicing · calculating
luck, lucky, unlucky, luckily, fluke, luckless, fluked, flukes, luckiness