on the chance that

Idioms and Phrases

On the possibility that, as in I came early on the chance that we might have time to chat . This phrase uses chance in the sense of “a possibility or probability for some event,” a usage dating from the late 1700s. It is sometimes put as on the off chance , meaning “on the slight but unlikely possibility,” as in I came late on the off chance that I could avoid Thomas . The addition of off in the sense of “remote” dates from the mid-1800s.