roulette

Definition

A game of chance in which a small ball is made to move round rapidly on a circle divided off into numbered (usually red and black) spaces. When the ball stops, it indicates the result of a variety of wagers permitted by the game.

Etymology

Borrowed from French roulette (“roulette, little wheel”). The sense "situation with a random chance of incurring serious harm" may be abstracted from Russian roulette.

Example Sentences

• "Doctors and health officials said that the WRC-TV documentary, "DPT: Vaccine Roulette," emphasized the risks of the vaccine while ignoring the dangers of the disease, which has been almost wiped out in this country."
• "They would all rather take their chances with the existing policy-making roulette rather than follow process discipline."
• "By contrast giving treatments open-label slows everything down by leading us up blind alleys while playing roulette with our patients' lives."

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