See Also: penury(dictionary)
penury(dictionary)

bet 2, noun (oh) and penury (iou)


bet 2, noun (oh)



2 n [C]
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: Perhaps from abet 'support, help' (14-16 centuries), from abet 'to help']
an agreement to risk money on the result of a race, game etc or on something happening, or the money that you risk
::a ¡ê50 bet
bet on
::A few of us had a bet on who'd get married first.
place/put/lay a bet
::We placed bets on three horses.
::Bookmakers are already taking bets on the outcome.
win/lose a bet
::If he scores now, I'll win my bet.
your best bet
spoken used when advising someone what to do
::Your best bet is to put an advert in the local newspaper.
::The train might be a better bet.
a good/safe bet
an action or situation that is likely to be successful or does not involve much risk
::If you're looking for long-term growth, the government's own saving certificates are a pretty good bet.
-see also hedge your bets at hedge 2 (2)
it's a safe/sure/fair bet (that)
spoken used to say that something seems almost certain
::I think it's a pretty safe bet that he'll get the job.
my bet
spoken used when saying what you expect to happen in the future
::My bet is he'll be back this time next week.
do sth for a bet
to do something stupid, dangerous etc to win money from someone or to prove that you can do it
::He climbed the tree for a bet.

penury (iou)



penury noun. LME.
[Latin penuria, paenuria perh. rel. to paene almost: see -Y3.]
Destitution, indigence; poverty. LME.
A lack, a dearth, a scarcity, (of something). LME.
Miserliness, parsimoniousness. Now rare. M17.