go for broke
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Hawaiian Pidgin craps slang, meaning “to wager everything on one roll”: one would be broke, i.e. bankrupt, if one lost.[1]
Popularized by the movie Go for Broke! (1951), which is named for the 442nd Infantry Regiment’s unit motto.
Verb[edit]
- To wager everything.
- (idiomatic) To try everything possible or do every last thing possible in a final attempt.
Translations[edit]
to wager everything
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to try everything possible in a final attempt
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ The movie Go for Broke!, which popularized this phrase, gives this etymology.
