Dictionary

them's the breaks en · X

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From break in the sense “stroke of luck” (compare tough break, lucky break).

Meanings

1. (colloquial, idiomatic) That is the way things happen; that's life.
   • And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks. 2022 July 7, Heather Stewart, quoting Boris Johnson, “Boris Johnson’s resignation speech: what he said, and what he meant”, in The Guardian:

Forms

Synonyms

so is life · that's the way the ball bounces · them's the breaks · shit happens · it is what it is · it is as it is · that's the way life is · so be it · that's the way the cookie crumbles · that’s the way it plays · that's that and this is this · so it goes · that's the way it goes · life's a bitch · c'est la vie · that's the way the cookie crumbles · such is life · that's life · that's the way the mop flops · it is how it is