you (can) bet your (sweet) life

You can be absolutely certain that something will happen. Sometimes used ironically. You bet your sweet life I'm going to that concert—I've been saving up for my ticket for months now! Oh, you can bet your life that Kevin will be late tonight—he's never on time! I lost my umbrella, so you can bet your life that it's going to rain soon.

you can bet your life

You can be totally certain that something is the case or will happen. I lost my umbrella, so you can bet your life that it will rain tomorrow! Oh, you can bet your life that Kevin will be late tonight—he's never on time!

You bet your (sweet) life!

and You bet your boots!; You bet your life!; You bet your (sweet) bippy.

Inf. Fig. You can be absolutely certain of something! Mary: Will I need a coat today? Bill: You bet your sweet life! It's colder than an iceberg out there. Bill: Will you be at the game Saturday? Tom: You bet your boots!

you bet your life

mainly AMERICAN, INFORMAL

People say you bet your life to say `yes' in a very strong way. Would he have been as fast in a Lotus Cortina? You bet your life.

You bet your sweet life!

exclam. You are absolutely correct! You bet your sweet life I am glad!

you (can) bet your (sweet) life)

Absolutely; for sure. The idea that something is so definitely true that you can wager your life on it originated in nineteenth-century America. The San Francisco Sun Dispatch used it in 1852: “He’s around when there’s money . . . bet your life on that.” Other versions are you can bet your bottom dollar, referring to the last of a pile of them, and you can bet your boots (also a valuable item), both of nineteenth-century American provenance, and you bet your (sweet) bippy, a euphemism for you bet your (sweet) ass, which was “bipped” out on television programs. The last two are both mid-twentieth-century Americanisms.