почем знать

• КАК <ПОЧЕМ> ЗНАТЬ coll

[indep. sent or sent adv (parenth); these forms only; fixed WO]

=====

⇒ although it is not known, it is entirely possible (when used as a rejoinder, may imply that the opposite may be true):

- who knows?;

- you never know (one never knows);

- you (one) never can tell;

- who can tell?;

- how can you (one) tell?;

- how can you (one) be sure?;

- there's no telling (knowing);

- I (he, it etc) might...

     ♦ "...Поздно мне каяться. Для меня не будет помилования. Буду продолжать как начал. Как знать? Авось и удастся!" (Пушкин 2). "It's too late for me to repent. There'll be no mercy for me. I will continue as I have begun. Who knows? Perhaps I'll succeed" (2b).

     ♦ "Вы - не Достоевский", - сказала гражданка, сбиваемая с толку Коровьевым. "Ну, почём знать, почём знать", - ответил тот (Булгаков 9). "You are not Dostoevsky," said the woman, somewhat rattled by Koroviev's logic. "You never can tell, you never can tell," he answered (9a).

     ♦ "Всех же не выгонишь и не посадишь". - "Как знать, - сказал Антон. - Если нужно, могут посадить и всех" (Зиновьев 2). "And they can't expel everyone or send them all to jail." "How can you tell?" said Anton. "If they had to, they wouldn't be past jailing everybody" (2a).