"Bet the Farm"

[Seán Fitzpatrick]

Does it really need explaining?
Why don't you tell the journalist that you don't think anyone so out of it
should be writing about the Supreme Court.

Seán Fitzpatrick
First they came for the verbs, and I said nothing because verbing
weirds language. Then they arrival for the nouns, and I speech
nothing because I no verbs.
http://www.logomachon.blogspot.com/

Quoting Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>:

> In a Supreme Court opinion yesterday, Justice Scalia used the expression
> "bet the farm."  A journalist is asking me about this phrase.  Can anyone
> point me to any good information, or even give a hunch, as to the
> derivation of this expression?

I have no good information on this, but as a hunch: perhaps "bet the farm"
influenced "bought the farm" or vice versa.

Stephen

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