longshots
Unlikely to win
Longshots are competitors, candidates, or outcomes given little chance of success.
The term comes from horse racing, where a longshot is a horse with poor odds—if you bet on one and it wins, the payout is substantial.
The concept extends to any unlikely but possible success: He's a longshot for the nomination, but stranger things have happened.
In photography and film, a long shot is a wide-angle view showing a subject from a distance, capturing context and setting rather than detail.
Unlikely but possible winner
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- CinderellaRags-to-riches heroine
- sleeperOne at rest
- DavidMasculine Hebrew name
minnow · unfancied · overlooked · upset · giant-killer · wildcard · qualifier · unknown
Staking money on outcomes
- wagerStake on uncertainty
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- jackpotAccumulated gambling prize
- lotteryRandomized prize distribution
stakes · parlay · accumulator · exacta · trifecta · payout · sportsbook · bookie
Final desperate attempt
- do-or-dieDesperately crucial situation
- clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox
- buzzer-beaterScore at the horn
- prayerAddress to deity
Involuntary sleep visions
Magnifying camera lens
- zoomRapid movement or magnification
- magnificationDegree of visual enlargement
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- safariWildlife observation journey
paparazzi · birding · surveillance · reach
dark-horse
Unlikely but possible winner
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- CinderellaRags-to-riches heroine
- sleeperOne at rest
David · minnow · unfancied · overlooked · upset · giant-killer · wildcard · qualifier · unknown · no-hoper
betting
Staking money on outcomes
lottery · stakes · parlay · accumulator · exacta · trifecta · payout · sportsbook · bookie · punt
last-ditch
Final desperate attempt
- do-or-dieDesperately crucial situation
- clutchMechanism linking engine to gearbox
- buzzer-beaterScore at the horn
dreams
Involuntary sleep visions
telephoto
Magnifying camera lens
- zoomRapid movement or magnification
- magnificationDegree of visual enlargement
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
safari · paparazzi · birding · surveillance · reach
- horse racingthoroughbred, horse racing, racehorse, flat race, horses
- sports bettingodds, bets, bookmaker, bet, sportsbook
- racing betsexacta, trifecta, quinella, superfecta, perfecta
- Political Groupsfaction, Republican Party, caucus, Democratic Party, wing
longshotsfavorites
Most preferred choices
sure things · certainties · safe bets · locks · dead certs
longshotsfrontrunners
Those leading a competition
favorites · top seeds · defending champions · top picks · powerhouses