all bets are off

[ awl bets ahr awf, of ]

idiom

1. (used when the outcome of a situation is too uncertain to predict):

   We have to make it to the meeting place by 5:30 or all bets are off.

   The individual ingredients may be safe, but once you mix them up into a brew, all bets are off.

Word History and Origins

Origin of all bets are off¹

First recorded in 1830–40, in reference to horse races

Example Sentences

"All bets are off, and everyone's going to have to reassess the marketplace"

From Salon

“The problem we have now is that with the election of Mr. Trump, all bets are off and everyone's going to have to reassess the marketplace,” Cohn said.

From Salon

“Then all bets are off … It will be battling ballot-by-ballot, trench warfare.”

From Los Angeles Times

If Trump wins, all bets are off; he really might start acting destructively toward the American people, our Constitution, and his critics well before his inauguration.

From Salon

“If we have a very tight election in a determinative state, like in 2000, then all bets are off and there will be litigation all over the place,” Smith said.

From Salon