Meaning

As good luck would have it

The meaning of the phrase

If something is 'as good luck would have it' it has come about by some fortunate chance.

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘As good luck would have it’?

This expression is first found in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1600:

FALSTAFF:

You shall hear. As good luck would have it, comes in one Mistress Page; gives intelligence of Ford’s approach; and, in her invention and Ford’s wife’s distraction, they conveyed me into a buck-basket.

The expression is now usually shortened to simply ‘as luck would have it’.

Historical trend

“good luck would have it” in printed material over time

Source: Google Books Ngrams (1800–2020).

180018201840186018801900192019401960198020002020
  • good luck would have it