Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m just going to give it my all and see where it ends.”
—Tennis player Elise Mertens, speaking about reaching the semifinals in the Australian Open (USA Today)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
able to gain without any bad result; no reason not to do something; ready for a risk
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Did you ever do something crazy just because you could? There are only a few times in life when we get to do this. For example, you might have tried to climb to the top of a mountain because you had never done it before. Or you may have relaxed all summer as a kid without looking for a job. In these situations, nothing bad was going to happen if you didn’t reach the top of the mountain or if you didn’t get a summer job. You had nothing to lose.
We often say that, when a person has nothing to lose, they have everything to gain. This means that they can’t make the situation worse because the situation can only get better. Belgian tennis player Elise Mertens had never reached the semifinals at a major tennis tournament before. But this year, she qualified for the semifinals at the Australian Open. She had some very good opponents, but since she had never been this far before, she had nothing to lose, and she played her best.
When did you have nothing to lose? Do you like the feeling of having nothing to lose?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“I decided to move to Australia because I had nothing to lose.”
“I’m going to try to win. I’ve never won before, so I have nothing to lose.”
“I’m applying for the best jobs. Since I don’t like my job now, I have nothing to lose.”