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- DictionaryThe jury is still out
- ▪ a decision has not yet been reached on a controversial subject
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THE JURY IS (STILL) OUT definition: 1. If the jury is (still) out on a subject, people do not yet know the answer or have not yet…. Learn more.
Mar 25, 2024 · The meaning of THE JURY IS OUT is —used to say that something has not yet been decided or has not yet become clear. How to use the jury is out in a sentence.
Judgement has not yet been finalised on a particular subject; especially due to information being incomplete. What's the origin of the phrase 'The jury is still out'? ‘The Jury Is Still Out’ has been a staple headline in US newspapers for at least 150 years; for example, this from The New York Daily-Times, May 1850:
No decision has been made; the public's opinion is not known. For example, As for a possible merger, the jury is still out, or The jury is still out on the new spring fashions. This expression alludes to the jury that decides a legal case. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]
jury is still out (on someone or something) Fig. a decision has not been reached on someone or something; the people making the decision on someone or something have not yet decided. The jury is still out on Jane. We don't know what we are going to do about her.
No decision has been made; the public's opinion is not known. For example, As for a possible merger, the jury is still out , or The jury is still out on the new spring fashions . This expression alludes to the jury that decides a legal case. [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]
In the literal sense, the jury’s still out means that these 12 people are still out discussing their decision. If the jury is out, a decision has not yet been made. The literal usage has existed since at least the mid-1800s. About 100 years later, people began to use this expression figuratively.
