当(あ)たり外(はず)れ

あたりはずれ

noun

hit or miss, inconsistency in quality

1. hit or miss, inconsistency in quality

Variation in quality or outcome where results can be either good or bad. Often used to describe products, restaurants, or services that are unpredictable in quality.

この店(みせ)は当(あ)たり外(はず)れがある。

This shop is hit or miss.

安(やす)いワインは当(あ)たり外(はず)れが大(おお)きい。

Cheap wine varies greatly in quality.

このブランドは当(あ)たり外(はず)れがないから、安心(あんしん)して買(か)える。

This brand is consistently good, so you can buy with confidence.

Usage

Most commonly used in the pattern 当(あ)たり外(はず)れがある (there is inconsistency) or 当(あ)たり外(はず)れが大(おお)きい (the variation is large). The negative 当(あ)たり外(はず)れがない means consistently good — there are no misses.

Common collocations

当(あ)たり外(はず)れがある: to be hit or miss
当(あ)たり外(はず)れが大(おお)きい: to have wide variation in quality
当(あ)たり外(はず)れがない: to be consistently good
当(あ)たり外(はず)れが激(はげ)しい: to vary wildly in quality

Related Words

Related: 当(あ)たる (to hit, to strike)

general

Added 2026.2.21 22:20 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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