Our lucky hobbit is keeping us on our toes…  I have always been curious about “the unexpected luck of widow’s sons” – is it a fairy tale reference?  Is there a frisson of Freemasonry referred to?  I do not find “unlucky” or “unluckily” in the text.

A graph of the frequency of words based on chance, fate, fortune, and luck may be found here.

• 1.017 and the unexpected luck of widows’ sons?
• 1.099 and have all the bad luck you like,
• 1.123 (I was one luckily –
• 1.132 Your father went away to try his luck
• 2.112 very luckily,
• 2.125 if we’re lucky,
• 4.002 (which was lucky),
• 5.057 Bilbo was saved by pure luck.
• 5.069 who had luckily just taken his hand out again.
• 6.033 and that is lucky.
• 6.059 Luckily it was warm
• 7.011 and good luck I have done it.
• 7.127 you must depend on your luck
• 7.142 That depends on your luck
• 7.151 and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day
• 8.002 that had the luck to slip
• 8.002 and still more luck
• 8.032 cursing their ill luck,
• 8.065 when Dori stumbled across him by sheer luck.
• 8.075 It was lucky that he had come to his senses
• 8.080 and by luck
• 8.102 but luckily not a proper web,
• 8.104 if a spider had not luckily left a rope hanging down;
• 8.125 as well as luck
• 9.025 for he saw that luck was with him
• 9.025 Luck of an unusual kind was with Bilbo then.
• 9.058 and he wondered if he would die of it before the luck turned,
• 9.059 The luck turned all right before long:
• 9.060 Luckily he was very light,
• 9.064 Luckily there was no sun at the time to cast an awkward shadow,
• 10.003 he had been more lucky than he had guessed.
• 11.018 Luckily for him that was not true,
• 12.002 and if I may say so possessed of good luck
• 12.004 Perhaps I have begun to trust my luck
• 12.008 After a while Balin bade Bilbo ‘Good luck!’
• 12.033 Luckily they had saved enough of their stores
• 12.037 on some new turn of luck
• 12.044 and blessed the luck of his ring.
• 12.052 I was chosen for the lucky number.’
• 12.053 But lucky numbers don’t always come off.’
• 12.063 you will be lucky.’
• 12.066 Mr. Lucky Number
• 12.079 Luckily the whole head
• 13.013 and have a look round before the luck turns.’
• 13.040 and we have tempted luck too long!’
• 18.014 I began to wonder if even your luck would see you through!
• 18.039 and good luck,
• 19.047 and escapes were managed by mere luck,