hostage to fortune

plural hostages to fortune

1. UKAn action, promise, or remark that is considered unwise because it could be difficult to fulfil or could cause trouble later on.

   He was very cautious with his words and gave no hostages to fortune.

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   He that hath VVife and Children, hath giuen Hoſtages to Fortune; For they are Impediments to great Enterpriſes, either of Vertue, or Miſchiefe. Certainly, the beſt vvorkes, and of greateſt Merit for the Publike, haue proceeded from the vnmarried, or Childleſſe Men; vvhich, both in Affection, and Meanes, haue married and endovved the Publike.

   1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Marriage and Single Life. VIII.”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, page 36

   VVife and Children are Hoſtages given to Fortune.

   [1732, Thomas Fuller, compiler, Gnomologia: Adagies and Proverbs; Wise Sentences and Witty Sayings, Ancient and Modern, Foreign and British, London: […] B. Barker […]; and A. Bettesworth and C. Hitch, […], →OCLC, paragraph 5742, page 253

   1982 July 1, Mr. M. O’Leary, Dáil Éireann, volume 337, Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland https://web.archive.org/web/20121110193054/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0337/D.0337.198207010005.html As I say, there are no answers to date on these serious issues.... It is understandable in human terms that a Government would wish to survive, to do better things perhaps, but so far this House has been left in total ignorance of the policy package to be offered by this Government and their day-to-day operation on which this vote of no confidence is based, on their mishandling of the economy. We can give no hostage to fortune. On their work so far they do not deserve a vote of confidence here today.

   2001 November 13, John O'Donoghue, Dáil Éireann, volume 543, Houses of the Oireachtas, Ireland https://web.archive.org/web/20121125140855/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0543/D.0543.200111130010.html I hope the other report will be completed at a very early date, but to put a timescale on it would be to give hostage to fortune and I am not prepared to do that.

2. USA person or thing whose fate is seen as dependent on chance or luck.

   Too many [rail] companies are hostages to fortune by relying on RDW [rest day working] agreements to run their timetable.

   2022 November 2, Philip Haigh, “Comment: Rail strikes: no end in sight”, in Rail, number 969, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3

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   Once several good outfits are prepared, any one of which can attack a Japanese-held base or island and beat the life out of the garrison, all their islands will become hostages to fortune.

   1950 July, Winston S[pencer] Churchill, “The Shipping Strangehold”, in The Hinge of Fate (The Second World War), London; Toronto, Ont.: Cassell & Co., →OCLC, book I (The Onslaught of Japan), page 171