all bets are off

[awl bets ahr awf, of]

idiom

1. (used when the outcome of a situation is too uncertain to predict).

   We have to make it to the meeting place by 5:30 or all bets are off.

   The individual ingredients may be safe, but once you mix them up into a brew, all bets are off.

Word History and Origins

Origin of all bets are off¹

First recorded in 1830–40, in reference to horse races

Example Sentences

There is a sense that all bets are off.

Read more on BBC

And I gotta take this to practice, and when I take that, all bets are off.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If it’s a rainy day, all bets are off.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If the economy turns for the worse because of factors around the world, all bets are off.

Read more on BBC

And when he loses control, all bets are off.

Read more on Salon