bode

To be a sign of good things to come. An "augur" was an oracle in ancient Rome. This rain does not augur well for our baseball game. Well, that poor performance review does not augur well for a raise.

to indicate or predict good things for someone or something. (Usually in the negative.) This latest economic message does not augur well for the stock market. I am afraid that this poll data does not augur well for the incumbent in the election.

to foretell or portend fortune or misfortune for someone or something. (Typically with ill or well.) Things do not bode well for the stock market. Things do not bode well for your future at this job.

Also, augur ill for; bode well or ill for . Have good (or bad) expectations for someone or something. For example, John's recovery from surgery augurs well for the team and The Republican victory in the Congressional elections bodes ill for affirmative action. The verb augur is derived from the Latin word for "soothsayer" (predictor of the future), a meaning perpetuated in this phrase and so used since the late 1700s. The verb bode comes from the Old English bodian, meaning "to announce or foretell," and is rarely heard today except in this idiom, which dates from about 1700.