foregone conclusion

foregone conclusion

1. An inevitable result. After how poorly the team has played so far this season, it's a foregone conclusion that they won't make it to the championship.
2. A view or belief that one has before receiving all pertinent information. Don't come to any foregone conclusions about the accident, all right? Let me tell you the whole story first.
See also: conclusion, foregone
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

foregone conclusion

Cliché a conclusion already reached; an inevitable result. That the company was moving to California was a foregone conclusion. That the mayor will win reelection is a foregone conclusion.
See also: conclusion, foregone
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

foregone conclusion, a

1. An outcome regarded as inevitable, as in The victory was a foregone conclusion.
2. A conclusion formed in advance of argument or consideration, as in The jury was warned to consider all of the evidence and not base their decision on a foregone conclusion . This idiom probably was invented by Shakespeare ( Othello, 3:3) but scholars are not agreed as to his precise meaning. [c. 1600]
See also: foregone
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a ˌforegone conˈclusion

a result that is certain to happen: It’s a foregone conclusion that Spain will win tonight’s match.
See also: conclusion, foregone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

foregone conclusion, a

A result that is already known and therefore is taken for granted. The term comes from Shakespeare’s Othello (3.3), in which, after hearing Iago’s lie about Cassio talking in his sleep of his love affair with Desdemona, Othello says this “dream” is a “foregone conclusion”—that is, it clearly denotes that his wife has been unfaithful to him with Cassio (as Iago intended him to believe all along). Some four centuries later the term is still around: “But it could be argued that it was a surprise so many Spaniards were prepared to take part in a vote which was a foregone conclusion” (Economist, Feb. 26, 2005).
See also: foregone
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a foregone conclusion
  • foregone
  • foregone conclusion, a
  • hollow
  • all hollow
  • see the error of (one's) ways
  • see the error of your ways
  • catch at (a) straw(s)
  • after a sort
  • buy cheap, buy twice
References in periodicals archive
The SJC concluded that the commonwealth's standard of proof to compel a defendant to decrypt an electronic device by entering a password should be that the defendant knows the password beyond a reasonable doubt for the foregone conclusion exception to apply, a burden that the court said had been met in this case.
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It may well be a foregone conclusion considering the Champions' record-breaking seven straight wins.
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At the time of this writing, June 7, the media are telling us that the special legislative committee will produce its foregone conclusion approving the abolition of the traditional definition of marriage between husband and wife in favour of (any) two persons, by June 14-16.
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Though Beautiful Inez is solidly crafted and moving, its emotional effects are blunted by what feels like a foregone conclusion.
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Due to the 6-4 conservative majority on the Board, it is a foregone conclusion that the science curriculum in the state of Kansas will be altered to diminish evolution and introduce intelligent design.
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"If you work in the dementia unit, it's almost a foregone conclusion (you'll have residents who wander)," said Annette LoCascio, director of special care services at The Claremont Rehab and Living Center in Buffalo Grove, Ill.
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However, Anwar, who wore and back braces due to a spinal injury, said he believed the decision is a foregone conclusion.
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As soon as he announced, it was a foregone conclusion. Even Democrats voted for him.
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"The perception is that it is a foregone conclusion (that synod will approve same-sex blessings) and he is giving the victory speech."
Synod speaker sparks debate