To hedge one's bets
Example: She decided to hedge her bets by applying to two jobs.
Definition
"To hedge one's bets" means to reduce the risk of loss by supporting more than one possible outcome or option, often to protect oneself against uncertainty. For example, someone who applies to multiple jobs is hedging their bets to increase chances of success.
Etymology
The phrase "to hedge one's bets" originates from gambling, where a 'hedge' is a strategy to limit potential losses by placing bets on different outcomes. Over time, it evolved metaphorically to describe any cautious approach to uncertain situations, not just gambling.
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"To hedge one's bets" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 106 commonly used expressions.
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