hedge bets

hedge one's bets

Fig. to reduce one's loss on a bet or on an investment by counterbalancing the loss in some way. Bob bet Ann that the plane would be late. He usually hedges his bets. This time he called the airline and asked about the plane before he made the bet. John bought some stock and then bet Mary that the stock would go down in value in one year. He has hedged his bets perfectly. If the stock goes up, he sells it, pays off Mary, and still makes a profit. If it goes down, he reduces his loss by winning the bet he made with Mary.

See also: bet, hedge

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hedge your bets

to try to avoid giving an opinion or choosing only one thing, so that whatever happens in the future you will not have problems or seem stupid (sometimes + on ) Journalists are hedging their bets on the likely outcome of the election. I decided to hedge my bets by buying shares in several different companies.

See also: bet, hedge

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hedge your bets

to protect yourself against making the wrong choice Forecasters were hedging their bets about the storm, saying that it could bring lots of snow, or it could head away from us.

See also: bet, hedge