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What is the origin of the idiom make heads or tails out of something?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Many choices are made using the flip of a coin, because either outcome, heads or tails, has a likelihood of exactly 50%, assuming the coin's center of mass has not been displaced. There are some coins of which it cannot be determined which side is supposed to be the head and which side is supposed to be the tail. It is literally said that someone cannot make heads or tails of such a situation. The phrase is used figuratively in reference to a situation that is equally difficult to determine.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
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What does the idiom can't make heads or tails of it mean?
It means you don't understand something at all.
What does the idiom 'dog with two tails' mean?
It means you are very happy.When a dog is happy, it wags its tail.A dog with 2 tails wagging would be very happy.
Why is it called heads or tails when it is one coin Wouldn't it be called Head or Tail Singular instead of plural?
Referring to coin flipping, heads and tails are not plurals. They are old genitives, and could be written head's and tail's.
Why is one side of the quarter called tails?
The reverse of a coin is called "tails" because the obverse traditionally shows "heads" (relief images of famous people).
What does 'heads or tails' mean?
It's when you throw a coin up and try to pick which side lands facing up - it's a way of choosing between two sides when neither side wants to pick (or when neither one wants to give something up). Each side picks either "heads" (the picture of the person on the coin) or "tails" (the other picture on the coin) and whichever side comes up, the person who picked that side wins.
What does the idiom can't make heads or tails of it mean?
It means you don't understand something at all.
Is there an idiom cant make head or leg of it?
No - it is "can't make heads or tails of it." It means you cannot understand something at all, as if you cannot tell whether a coin has landed heads up or tails up.
What is a idiom for can't make heads or tails?
Another idiom that means the same thing would be "all at sea."
How can you decide which is heads or tails on a coin?
Heads have a person on it. Tails have something else on it.
What does equally probable mean?
That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.That there is the same chance of something happening as there is of something else happening. When tossing a coin, there is the same chance it will land on heads as there is that it will land on tails. So landing on heads and landing on tails are equally probable.
How many outcomes are there when tossing a coin three times?
1heads heads heads 2heads heads tails 3heads tails heads 4heads tails tails 5tails tails tails 6tails tails heads 7tails heads tails 8tails heads heads
If a coin is tossed 3 times what is the probability of 3 heads?
There are 8 possible outcomes when a coin is tossed 3 times. Here they are:1. Heads, Heads, Tails.2. Heads, Tails, Heads.3. Tails, Heads, Heads.4. Heads, Heads, Heads.5. Tails, Tails, Heads.6. Tails, Heads, Tails.7. Heads, Tails, Tails.8. Tails, Tails, Tails.There is only one outcome that is heads, heads, heads, so the probability of three heads coming up in three coin tosses is 1 in 8 or 0.125 for that probability.
What are the possible outcomes for 2 tosses of a coin?
Heads+Heads ; Heads+Tails ; Tails+Tails
What is the probability of a coin landing on heads twice when it is flipped 3 times?
Your question is slightly vague, so I will pose a more defined question: What is the probability of 3 coin tosses resulting in heads exactly twice? This is a pretty easy question to answer. The three possible (winning) outcomes are: 1. Heads, Heads, Tails. 2. Heads, Tails, Heads. 3. Tails, Heads, Heads. If we look at the possible combination of other (losing) outcomes, we can easily determine the probability: 4. Heads, Heads, Heads. 5. Tails, Tails, Heads. 6. Tails, Heads, Tails. 7. Heads, Tails, Tails. 8. Tails, Tails, Tails. This means that to throw heads twice in 3 flips, we have a 3 in 8 chance. This is because there are 3 winning possibilities out of a total of 8 winning and losing possibilities.
What are all the possible outcomes for flipping or tossing three coins a dime a nickel and a penny in an organized manner and how would a tree diagram show these results?
There are eight possible results when flipping three coins (eliminating the highly unlikely scenario of one or more coins landing on their edge): Dime - Heads / Nickel - Heads / Penny - Heads Dime - Heads / Nickel - Heads / Penny - Tails Dime - Heads / Nickel - Tails / Penny - Heads Dime - Heads / Nickel - Tails / Penny - Tails Dime - Tails / Nickel - Heads / Penny - Heads Dime - Tails / Nickel - Heads / Penny - Tails Dime - Tails / Nickel - Tails / Penny - Heads Dime - Tails / Nickel - Tails / Penny - Tails
What does to make heads or tails of something mean?
The image is of flipping a coin and not being able to tell if it comes up "heads" or "tails." You say this when you can't figure something out at all, as in "I just can't make heads or tails out of this report; can you rewrite it so that it makes more sense?"It means that you cannot understand something. Some thing that is really tough to understand. Some thing strange.
What is the probability in percent that a single coin toss will result in heads and tails?
The probability is 0%. The result will be heads or it will be tails but it cannot be heads and tails.
