ten to one, adv. phr.
Most likely, certainly. This idiom expresses odds, ten to one, as if making a bet, but it is used figuratively as a sentence adverb meaning simply “I think.” Also: ten-to-one odds. These phrases go back to at least the late 1500s. Similar: I bet ...
• Ten to one Fred will be late again today. He hates Monday mornings.
• Look at those clouds. Ten to one it’ll be raining by the time we arrive at the park. I bet it’ll be raining.
Learn more number idioms with Number Idioms—Hole in One! Available in print and Kindle e-book editions at Amazon stores worldwide.
(C) 2020, by Targets in English. All rights reserved.