what does "shake the lots" mean?

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klsaurian - 28 Nov 2008 10:24 GMT

I am translating a text from English and i met an expression that i
dont understand

What does "shake the lots" mean?

in the sentence "When we shook the lots, to me fell the hoary sea,
that I should dwell therein for ever" related to the Iliad.

The expression also appears in "Now shake the lots for all, the first
to the last man - w'll see who wins"

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Einde O'Callaghan - 29 Nov 2008 20:54 GMT

> I am translating a text from English and i met an expression that i
> dont understand
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> The expression also appears in "Now shake the lots for all, the first
> to the last man - w'll see who wins"

I know teh phrase "to draw lots" relating to dividing things up, but
I've never heard of "shaking lots". However dice are sometimes used
(i.e. shaken) when drawing lots to decide the order in which the
participants take their share, perhps we've got a mix-up of two
different idioms here.

Entering "shake lots" doesn't reveal any instances of this usage in the
first hundred hits, neither does "shaking lots".

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

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stan vincent - 24 Apr 2009 02:21 GMT

in thailand in buddhist temples people put numbered sticks in a tube shaped
container and shake the tube till one of the sticks falls out.that is their
lot so to speak and they then go and look up the box with that number which
contains religious pronouncements about that persons life.

>> I am translating a text from English and i met an expression that i
>> dont understand
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

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Discussion Groups / ESL Teaching / April 2009

what does "shake the lots" mean?