lap of the gods

lap of the gods

A state beyond possible human control, intervention, or responsibility; a state or condition that is or will be decided by nature or fate. Usually used in the phrase "in the lap of the gods." I'm afraid we've done all we can to treat your father's heart attack. His recovery is in the lap of the gods, now.
See also: god, lap, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • in good/poor/etc. state of repair
  • in a state of nature
  • be in a sorry state
  • yellow state
  • relapse
  • relapse into
  • relapse into (something)
  • red state
  • regress
  • regress to
References in periodicals archive
We have beaten the top sides but whether we can keep that going is in the lap of the gods."
"But I don't think Alex's tactics have been as bad as sometimes made out, and it's very much in the lap of the gods how well the players he picks do out there.
We're in the lap of the Gods. He does seem to like Haydock - he's never run a bad race there - so we're hoping for a dry run."
Henry Wemyss, head of British watercolours at Sotheby's, said: "It is in the lap of the gods if it comes back to Britain.
"If we don't win tonight then we don't deserve to go through but if we win it will be in the lap of the gods.
It meant for a start that the former home of the British motor industry no longer had a volume car producer since Peugeot, which likes to say that it is in Coventry, is actually in Warwickshire although for how much longer it stays there is in the lap of the gods.
"He's very bright and well in himself - but it's in the lap of the gods whether his leg heals.
The ground at Ludlow is heavy, soft in places, and clerk Bob Davies said: "We're in the lap of the gods and it all depends how much rain we get.
Sarah Dunster, acting clerk of the course at Kempton, reported: "We are in the lap of the gods.
Lawson said: "We are in the lap of the gods somewhat with the weather.
He told Kemp that if someone was stabbed in such circumstances it was in the lap of the gods as to whether the victim suffered relatively minor injury or they were killed.
Whether in time it proves to be correct is in the lap of the gods.
He's also been entered in the Topham Chase and the Scottish National so I suppose he would run in one or the other, but we're very much in the lap of the gods as to where he goes."
At the end of the day it's in the lap of the gods, there's nothing you can do.
'We are going to have it thrown at us all week how good they are, but we've just got to switch off from that and get our own game-plan right and it's in the lap of the gods then.