Where did the phrase break the bank come from?
Where did the phrase break the bank come from?
Scholars believe the term “break the bank” originated sometime around 1600, when gamblers won more money than the house (bank) could afford to pay. Some place the term’s origin closer to 1873, when a roulette playing Englishman named Joseph Jagger won $350,000 (a huge sum for the day) at Monte Carlo.
Is break the bank a metaphor?
Break the bank is an idiom. An idiom is a metaphorical figure of speech, and it is understood that it is not a use of literal language. Figures of speech like an often-used metaphor have definitions and connotations that go beyond the literal meaning of the words.
What does robbed a bank mean?
Rob is the general word for taking possessions by unlawful force or violence: to rob a bank, a house, a train.
Does not break your bank?
COMMON If something will not break the bank, it will not cost too much money. Note: If one gambler (= someone who risks money in order to win more) wins all the money that a casino has set aside to pay all the winning bets, they are said to have broken the bank. …
What does break your back mean?
to work extremely hard to try to do something. When you’re breaking your back to make an enterprise work, it’s going to cut into your time with family. Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary.
Are bank robberies common?
Bank robberies are relatively uncommon: only about 2 of every 100 robberies are of a bank. 1 Although violence is rare, employees and customers are at some risk of injury.
What is something that doesn’t break?
shatterproof. adjective. a shatterproof substance does not break into small pieces.
What does off the bat mean?
immediately
Instantly, immediately, as in I can’t tell you how many right off the bat, but I can find out. This term alludes to a baseball being hit by a bat. [ First half of 1900s]
What does the phrase “breaking the bank” mean?
“Break the bank” is a slang term that means something costs too much money or exceeds the budget. This idiom has its origins in casino gambling as a reference to occasions when the casino bank does not have the cash to cover winning bets.
What is another word for “break the bank”?
Synonyms for ‘break the bank’: gamble, bet, stake, back, put on, place, see, put money on something, put your shirt on something, bet the farm, call
What is breaking the bank?
In gaming, breaking the bank refers to a player winning a critical sum of money from the casino. The literal, extremely rare, situation of breaking the bank, is winning more than the house has on hand.
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