second-guess

Etymology
From trying to improve with a second stab.

Verb

 * 1)  to vet or evaluate; to criticize or correct, often by hindsight, by presuming to have a better idea, method, etc.
 * 2) * 1946, someone, somewhere:
 * I suppose anybody who keeps a diary and subsequently goes over it for publication has a tremendous temptation to second-guess and make himself look like an oracle.
 * 1) * 1957, United States Senate proceedings:
 * As a practical matter, a fertilizer company could not afford to second-guess the Federal Trade Commission or a jury in a triple damage case on so obscure a point.
 * 1) * 1959, U.S. Court of Appeals proceedings:
 * Public administration would be hamstrung if courts were free to second-guess reasonable administrative decisions.
 * 1) * 1995, someone, somewhere:
 * MacGregor avoided this trap by refusing to give managers reporting to him the opportunity to second-guess the solution he would be most likely to choose.
 * Please don't try to second-guess the procedure that we have already refined and adopted.
 * Once she began listening to her instincts and didn't second-guess herself the entire time, her artwork improved noticeably.
 * 1) To anticipate or predict someone's actions or thoughts by guesswork.
 * 1) To anticipate or predict someone's actions or thoughts by guesswork.

Translations

 * Armenian:
 * Finnish:, arvostella jälkikäteen, jälkiviisastella
 * German: in Frage stellen, ,
 * Italian:, ,
 * Polish:, , ,
 * Portuguese: ,
 * Russian:, суди́ть задним числом
 * Slovak: prehodnocovať, spochybňovať
 * Spanish:, , ,