Bet the farm
Meaning
To risk everything one owns or possesses on a single venture or outcome.
Origin
Imagine a dusty 19th-century American frontier, where a family's entire existence was tied to the land they tilled. The farm wasn't just property; it was their food, their shelter, their legacy—everything. When harsh weather, crop failure, or crushing debt loomed, a desperate farmer might find themselves faced with a single, colossal decision: to gamble their entire livelihood on one last hope. This could be a speculative new crop, a high-stakes poker game to cover a mortgage payment, or a risky business venture. To "bet the farm" was to put absolutely everything on the line, where failure meant utter ruin and the loss of not just assets, but a way of life itself. This vivid image of staking one's entire existence on a single roll of the dice or turn of a card cemented the phrase in the American lexicon.
Examples
- She was so confident in her new invention that she decided to bet the farm on its success, investing all her savings.
- Considering the volatile market, it would be foolish to bet the farm on such a speculative stock without proper research.