even money
- the equal sum staked by each bettor.
- equal odds in a wager: It's even money that the home team will win.
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Origin of even money
First recorded in 1890–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for even money
Contemporary Examples
Geneticists believe there is an even-money chance that William and Kate's baby could be born with red hair.
Historical Examples
In the third place, the even-money chance of a slab or two of gun-cotton on the line ahead was not a pleasing one to contemplate.
The Second Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the South African WarCecil Francis Romer and Arthur Edward Mainwaring
Idioms and Phrases with even money
even money
Equal odds that something will occur, as in It's even money that he'll get the contract. The term comes from gambling, where it signifies equal odds in a bet. [Late 1800s]
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.