second-guess
See also: second guess
English
Alternative forms
- second guess
Etymology
From trying to improve with a second stab.
Verb
second-guess (third-person singular simple present second-guesses, present participle second-guessing, simple past and past participle second-guessed)
- (idiomatic, US) to vet or evaluate; to criticize or correct, often by hindsight, by presuming to have a better idea, method, etc.
- 1946, someone, somewhere:
- I suppose anybody who keeps a diary and subsequently goes over it for publication has a tremendous temptation to second-guess and make himself look like an oracle.
- 1957, United States Senate proceedings:
- As a practical matter, a fertilizer company could not afford to second-guess the Federal Trade Commission or a jury in a triple damage case on so obscure a point.
- 1959, U.S. Court of Appeals proceedings:
- Public administration would be hamstrung if courts were free to second-guess reasonable administrative decisions.
- 1995, someone, somewhere:
- MacGregor avoided this trap by refusing to give managers reporting to him the opportunity to second-guess the solution he would be most likely to choose.
- 2003, Editing Today:
- If you suspect you've stepped over the line, ask a few other copy editors to second-guess your headline.
- Please don't try to second-guess the procedure that we have already refined and adopted.
- Once she began listening to her instincts and didn't second-guess herself the entire time, her artwork improved noticeably.
- 1946, someone, somewhere:
Synonyms
- reconsider
- rethink
- think over
Related terms
- second guesser
Translations
to vet or evaluate
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References
- http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/second-guess
- http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-secondguess.html
- http://media.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-guesses
- http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=second-guess