Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“Kids should be kids for as long as possible. When she gets into her teens, though, all bets are off.”
- Actress Drew Barrymore on whether her daughter will wear makeup from her new line of beauty products. (Us Weekly)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
have no way of predicting the outcome
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Do you know anyone who loves to gamble? Real gamblers will bet on anything. They’ll bet on horses, or dogs, or fighting roosters. They’ll bet on cards and dice, and baseball and football and basketball. They’ll always try to figure out the technical details so that they can make the most educated bets and win the most money. But even for the most dedicated gamblers, sometimes something happens that makes them feel as if they can’t possibly predict the outcome. When that happens, they put their money away, and all bets are off.
Even if you don’t bet money on games or events, you probably still try to predict the outcome of events in your life. You guess what your mom will give you for your birthday, or whether you or your spouse will get home from work first. But sometimes something unusual happens, and you no longer feel that you can predict these regular behaviors. Then all bets are off.
Drew Barrymore knows that she’s not going to let her daughter wear makeup when she’s young. She thinks she should behave like a little girl while she still is one. But she knows that things get crazy when a girl becomes a teenager. She can’t possibly predict what will happen then. When her daughter enters that unpredictable time, all bets are off.
Do you gamble? Do you predict events in the day-to-day? Can you think of a time when an unusual event prevented you from using your powers of prediction?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“I think Jerry has a good chance of winning the race, but if “Speedy Steve” enters, all bets are off.”
“I’m good at playing music in the key of C, but once you add sharps or flats, all bets are off.”
“She’s pretty shy when she’s sober, but when she starts drinking, all bets are off.”