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I’ve heard the phrase 5 for 10 several times in a tv show in contexts where I would have used 5 out of 10 (of course different numbers work as well). I searched for it but found not a single page mentioning such a usage of the word “for”. So my question is, is that a common used expression and if so, does it have the exact same meaning as 5 out of 10?

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    Could you give us some examples of the contexts?
    – Fivesideddice
    Commented Mar 31, 2020 at 23:29
  • If you get 10 questions and get 5 of them right, you say “5 out of / for 10”.
    – Felix
    Commented Mar 31, 2020 at 23:33

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The use of the word for here is usually in a sport or competition context. It refers there to the number of successes, out of a certain number of attempts:

The batter was 2 for 4 in the game.

(Above quote from Dictionary.com)

I can't think of any other contexts that I would hear it used, unless somebody was using it colloquially as though something were a sport:

John's been trying to chat up women all night. He's currently zero for five.

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  • Thank you, exactly what I was looking for.
    – Felix
    Commented Mar 31, 2020 at 23:36

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