have nothing to lose en · VERB
Meanings
-
To be in a situation that could improve by doing something and that will not be any worse if it fails.
When there’s nothing to lose and nothing to prove, I’ll be dancing with myself; oh, oh, o-oh.
1981 January 23, Billy Idol, Tony James, “Dancing with Myself”, in Kiss Me Deadly, performed by Generation X:you have nothing to lose but your chains
They say that nothing is more dangerous than a man who has nothing to lose.
He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141:to have nothing to lose and everything to gain
When ya ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose
1965, Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone”:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| has nothing to lose | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| having nothing to lose | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| had nothing to lose | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| had nothing to lose | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Relateds
might as well · what the hell · possessionlessness · may as well · you will own nothing and be happy