make book

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

make book (third-person singular simple present makes book, present participle making book, simple past and past participle made book)

1. (idiomatic) To gamble, either by placing or taking bets.
   • 1954 August 30, “Into the Stretch”, in Time:

     In the American League, front-running Cleveland was an odds-on favorite with the men who make book on baseball.

2. (idiomatic) To be very confident.
   • 1909, Rex Ellingwood Beach, chapter 25, in The Silver Horde:

     "Oh, you can make book that she didn't start no love-making. She ain't the kind to curl up in a man's ear and whisper."