Dictionary

bet the farm en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Possibly nothing more than a case of real estate as wager stakes, but also plausibly because farmers cannot avoid gambling and the stakes are financial ruin: they must make many decisions (such as which crops to plant each year, and how to manage livestock), and outside factors such as weather or changing commodity markets can dash their hopes. Thus, when making a decision they must ask themselves whether they are confident enough to bet the farm as the wager stakes.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To be absolutely certain, to have no doubts.
   • Since Rupert Murdoch famously bet the farm on Premier League football to rescue Sky TV in 1991, it has been the catnip that has underpinned subscriber loyalty and, even in a far more complicated media landscape, is seen as so vital as to be worth almost any price. 2016 October 24, Owen Gibson, “Is the unthinkable happening – are people finally switching the football off?”, in The Guardian, London:
   • I'd be surprised if those two are still dating come Christmas, but I'm not betting the farm on a breakup just yet.
2. (idiomatic) To make a substantial wager or risk.

Forms

Relateds

give away the store · buy the farm · play with house money

Synonyms

bet one's boots · bet the ranch · bet one's bottom dollar · bet the house