Where "Buckley's Chance" Comes From
The most popular theory links the phrase to William Buckley, a convict who escaped a Victorian penal settlement in 1803 and lived with Aboriginal people for 32 years — a feat so unlikely at the time that his name became shorthand for near-impossible odds.
A second theory ties it to "Buckley and Nunn," a well-known Melbourne department store, giving the punning phrase "you've got two chances — Buckley's, or none." The earliest printed evidence dates to the 1880s, and the two stories may well have become intertwined over time.
"You've got Buckley's chance of finishing that in one day."
How Aussies Actually Use It
"Buckley's chance" — often shortened to just "Buckley's" — is used whenever someone's odds of success are essentially nil.
It's a distinctly Australian and New Zealand expression, rarely heard elsewhere, and still very much in everyday use.
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