The expression to go chalk has to do with rankings in an athletic tournament and harks back to when seeded teams or players were listed on a chalkboard. To pick chalk means to choose one’s favorite competitor, and you can also speak of a chalk...
Following our conversation about fossicking for gemstones, a listener in Melbourne, Australia, points out that where he’s from, emu is slang for a person who picks up discarded tickets at a racetrack, hoping to find an accidentally discarded...
Garrett in San Diego remembers his great-grandmother saying You bet your boots! or You bet your britches! to mean without a doubt. The phrases are common in American English and likely come from gambling, where betting your boots or trousers would...
A listener from Charlottesville, Virginia, is dating a professional golfer who often plays a Calcutta with other tour members. Calcutta, a betting game going back over 200 years, involves every player betting before the tournament on who they think...
shot fighter n.— «Gomez is what some would call a “shot fighter,” and shot fighters don’t get more durable as they go, they get less able to hang in there for long periods of time and give a sustained effort. Each of Gomez’s...
filthy adj.— «The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday may be a little short of its usual strength in depth, but for punters who specialise in each-way betting, it could hardly have a better shape at present. An...