book-maker
Definition
Noun: A person or organization that accepts and pays off bets on sporting events or other outcomes, often as a profession. This is the primary and most common meaning in modern English.
Usage Examples
- (The person who calculates and offers betting odds.)
- (She was employed to manage bets professionally.)
Advanced Usage
- "to be a book-maker's nightmare": refers to an event or result that causes the book-maker to lose money because many bettors predicted it correctly.
- The underdog's victory was a book-maker's nightmare. (The unexpected win cost the book-maker significant payouts.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bookmaker (n): the standard spelling of the same word.
- The bookmaker adjusted the odds after the injury. (Same meaning.)
- Bookmaking (n): the business or practice of taking bets.
- Bookmaking is regulated in many countries. (The activity of being a book-maker.)
Synonyms
- Oddsmaker: a person who sets the odds for bets.
- Bookie (informal): a shortened, colloquial term for a book-maker.
- He placed his bet with a local bookie. (An informal book-maker.)
- Taker of bets: a descriptive phrase for a book-maker.
Related Idioms
- "to beat the bookmaker": to win money from a book-maker by predicting outcomes correctly.
- He studied the statistics carefully and managed to beat the bookmaker. (He won more than he lost.)
Additional Note
The word "book-maker" can also refer literally to a person who makes books, such as a publisher or compiler of written works. However, this meaning is now rare and largely historical, whereas the betting-related meaning is dominant in contemporary English.