chance‐medleyの英語

語源

From Old French chance medlée, literally "mingled chance", with postpositive adjective (often confused because of the fact that medley is also a noun).

名詞

chance-medley (countable かつ uncountable, 複数形 chance-medleys)

1. (law, historical) The killing of another in self-defence upon a sudden and unpremeditated encounter.
   • 1618, Dalton, Michael, chapter CXLVI, in The Country Justice, Savoy: Henry Lintot, published 1746, page 333:

     Manſlaughter, otherwiſe called Chancemedley, is when two do fight together upon the ſudden, and by meer Chance, without any Malice precedent, and one of them doth kill the other; this alſo is Felony of Death.

2. (obsolete) Luck; chance; accident.
   • 1645, Milton, John, Tetrachordon:

     This is true in the general right of marriage, but not in the chance-medley of every particular match.

   • 1784, Cowper, William, Tirocinium; Or, A Review of Schools:

     Though much depends on what thy choice shall be, / Is all chance-medley, and unknown to me.

同意語

• (killing): manslaught, manslaughter
• (luck): fortune, hap; see also Thesaurus:luck