Fickle, by definition, means changeable, not steady. Fate is a predestination of of something undetermined but inevitable. The Fickle Finger of Fate points out that something ominous or may happen in future without determination of a specific time frame. It is used mostly in a jocular vain , as in a TV series in the 70's --> old-fashioned Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_fickle_finger_of_fate_mean#ixzz1WNwA4msi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fickle_Finger_of_Fate

Very old fashioned. It means you never know what is coming. I never expected to get my job but the fickle finger of fate intervened and I now work 10 minutes from home.