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Phrase(s): Better luck next time.
1. an expression that comforts someone for a minor failure. (Said with a pleasant tone of voice.) • Bill: That does it! I can’t run any farther. I lose! Bob: Too bad. Better luck next time. • Mary: Well, that’s the end of my brand new weight lifting career. Jane: Better luck next time. 2. an expression that ridicules someone for a failure. (Said with rudeness or sarcasm. The tone of voice distinguishes Wfrom Q.) • Sally: I lost out to you, but I think you cheated. Mary: Better luck next time. • Sue: You thought you could get ahead of me, you fool! Better luck next time! Joan: I still think you cheated.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs