stabs in the dark
Shots without aiming
Stabs in the dark is the plural of stab in the dark—a guess or attempt made without adequate information or guidance.
The image is of someone blindly thrusting a knife, hoping to hit something: These are just stabs in the dark, but maybe one will pan out.
The phrase acknowledges uncertainty while still making an effort.
- hunchesIntuitive suspicions
- wild guessUninformed speculation attempt
- conjecturesUnverified assumptions or theories
- educated guessReasoned speculation from facts
- venturesRisky new enterprises
leap of faith · gambles · trial-and-error · trial run · speculations · gut feeling · improvisation · approximations · assumptions · troubleshooting · lateral thinking · predictions · intuitions · resourcefulness · surmises · boldness · hypotheses · risk-taking
stabs in the darksure things
Guaranteed outcomes
certainties · known quantities · safe bets · educated guesses · foregone conclusions
stab, stabbed, stabbing, stabs, stabber, dark, darken, darkened, darkening