Learn English – An idiom for a stupid action which is beneficial in the end, or for the person who performed said action

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My friend works for an investment firm, and his colleague mistakenly double-submitted a long bid for stock on a very risky day. The entire firm was on edge the whole day, watching the stock price. In the end, the price went sky-high and the firm made a lot of money, so the friend was praised. However, he could easily have been in big trouble with the boss if the price had dropped. What is a term for this? Also, is there a term for the person who made the mistake?

Best Answer

One expression is 'fall in s--t and come out smelling of roses'. It's fairly common that people use just the end of the phrase: 'come out smelling like a rose', to avoid the vulgarity. This can apply to bad luck or stupidity.