no dice

[dahys] Origin

dice

[dahys] plural noun, singular die, verb, diced, dic·ing.
noun
1.
small cubes of plastic, ivory, bone, or wood, marked on each side with one to six spots, usually used in pairs in games of chance or in gambling.
3.
any of various games, especially gambling games, played by shaking and throwing from two to six dice or poker dice onto a flat surface. Compare craps.
4.
any small cubes.
5.
Auto Racing. a jockeying for lead position between two or more drivers in which tactics are used to pass or keep from being passed.
verb (used with object)
6.
to cut into small cubes.
7.
to decorate with cubelike figures.
8.
to lose by gambling with dice (often followed by away).

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No dice is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
verb (used without object)
9.
to play at dice.
10.
to cause or bring about by gambling with dice.
11.
Auto Racing. to duel with another car or cars in a dice.
12.
no dice, Informal. of no use or help; ineffective.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English dees, dis, dyce (singular and plural), dyces (plural) < Old French de(i)z, dés (plural); see die2

dic·er, noun

dice, die, dye.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To no dice
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dice
early 14c., des, dys, plural of dy (see die (n.)), altered 14c. to dyse, dyce, and 15c. to dice. "As in pence, the plural s retains its original breath sound, probably because these words were not felt as ordinary plurals, but as collective words" [OED]. Sometimes used as singular
EXPAND
1400-1700. The verb "to cut into cubes" is first recorded late 14c. Related: Diced.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

no dice definition


  1. interj.
    no; not possible. : When I asked about a loan, he said, No dice.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

no dice

Also, no go; no soap. No, certainly not; also, impossible. For example, Anthony wanted to borrow my new coat, but Mom said no dice, or We tried to rent the church for the wedding, but it's no go for the date you picked, or Jim asked Dad to help pay for the repairs, but Dad said no soap. All of these slangy expressions indicate refusal or an unsuccessful attempt. No dice, from the 1920s, alludes to an unlucky throw in gambling; no go, alluding to lack of progress, dates from about 1820; and no soap dates from about 1920 and possibly alludes to the phrase it won't wash, meaning "it won't find acceptance." Also see nothing doing; won't wash.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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