chance [ME] The ultimate source of chance is Latin cadere ‘to fall’, the root of many other words including those listed at *accident. In medieval times chance could mean ‘an accident’ as well as ‘the way things happen, fortune’. There are a number of stories associated with the origin of the phrase chance your arm [L19th], meaning ‘to take a risk’. One suggests that it was a slang expression used by tailors who, in rushing the job of sewing in a sleeve, risked the stitches coming loose. Or it may refer to the stripes on the sleeve of a military uniform that indicate a soldier’s rank. Doing something that broke military regulations might put you at risk of losing one of your stripes. The most colourful explanation links the phrase with a feud between the Irish Ormond and Kildare families in 1492. According to the story the Earl of Ormond had taken refuge in St Patrick’s cathedral in Dublin. The Earl of Kildare, wishing to end the feud and make peace, cut a hole in the cathedral door and put his arm through. The Earl of Ormond accepted his offer of reconciliation and shook his hand rather than cutting it off. None of these are particularly convincing, especially the Irish one, given the discrepancies in dates.