pick out of a hat
Select without looking
To pick something out of a hat is to select it randomly or arbitrarily, from the image of drawing a name or number from a hat containing many slips of paper: We couldn't decide where to eat, so we picked a restaurant out of a hat.
The phrase often implies a choice made without careful deliberation: It sounds like they just picked that number out of a hat.
- drawCreate with pencil
- drawing strawsRandom selection by length
- random selectionChoosing without systematic bias
- luckChance affecting outcomes
- lotteryRandomized prize distribution
raffle · luck of the draw · blind luck · chance · random · spin the wheel · choice · selection · impartiality · gamble · ritual · spontaneity · tiebreaker · coin toss · eeny meeny · fairness · fate · dice roll
pick out of a hatdeliberate
Consciously chosen, not accidental
calculate · think through · analyze · reason out · evaluate
pick out of a hathandpick
Select individually with care
cherry-pick · curate · vet · screen · prioritize
pick, picks, picked, picking, picker, pickers, hatted, hatter, hatters