heads or tails

noun

1. a gambling game in which a coin is tossed, the winner being the player who guesses which side of the coin will face up when it lands or is caught.
2. the tossing of a coin in this manner to determine a question or choice.

Word History and Origins

Origin of heads or tails¹

First recorded in 1675–85

Idioms and Phrases

An expression used when tossing a coin to decide between two alternatives, as in Let's just flip a coin to decide who pays—do you want heads or tails? Each person involved chooses a different side of the coin, either “heads” or “tails,” and whichever side lands facing up is considered the winner. This usage, dating from the late 1600s, is sometimes turned into Heads I win, tails you lose , meaning “I win no matter what,” which probably originated in an attempt to deceive someone. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

There are only two choices: heads or tails, and it comes before the game even starts for those impatient to know whether their bet is a winner.

From Seattle Times

Whether that falls heads or tails, though, generative AI isn't going to be what kills the arts and humanities.

From Salon

Let’s start by considering our hypothetical quantum system that can, when observed, come up either heads or tails.

From Scientific American

Imagine a physicist observing a quantum system whose behavior is akin to a coin toss: it could come up heads or tails.

From Scientific American

Whatever the outcome—heads or tails in our example—it shall hold for all observers.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• advantage
• break
• future
• hit
• lot
• odds
• outcome
• risk