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general::
Phrase(s): (It) doesn’t hurt to ask. [and] (It) never hurts to ask.
a phrase said when one asks a question, even when the answer is known to be no. • John: Can I take some of these papers home with me? Jane: No, you can’t. You know that. John: Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask. • Sue: Can I have two of these? Sally: Certainly not! Sue: Well, it never hurts to ask. Sally: Well, it just may!
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs