Dictionary

make book en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

The sense of be confident is semantically related to that of gamble, insofar as a sure bet denotes a situation in which one can be nearly certain of the outcome.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To gamble, either by placing or taking bets.
   • [Connie:] How is Mrs Miller? [Mr Miller:] She doesn't understand me. [Connie:] I could have made book on that answer. 1962, Stanley Shapiro, Nate Monaster, That Touch of Mink:
   • In the American League, front-running Cleveland was an odds-on favorite with the men who make book on baseball. 1954 August 30, “Into the Stretch”, in Time:
2. (idiomatic) To be very confident; to be sure.
   • Near-synonym: bet one's bottom dollar
   • "Oh, you can make book that she didn't start no love-making. She ain't the kind to curl up in a man's ear and whisper." 1909, Rex Ellingwood Beach, chapter 25, in The Silver Horde:

Forms

Relateds

sportsbook · bank on · bookmaking · make bank · to be sure · make it interesting · want to bet · bookie · bookmaker

Synonyms

bet one's bottom dollar