The Importance of Shouting

To be in with a shout means to have a good chance of winning or succeeding. This idiom is not just used for sport, it's for any situation in which winning something is a possibility. So my favourite football team is currently in second place. They are in with a shouts of winning the league if they score more goals. But only if there is a realistic chance or probability that they will do it. If it's unlikely you're going to achieve something then we don't use it. I would like to climb to the top of Mount Everest but let's be honest I'm not in with a shouted of doing that.