The action of levant, v.1; a bet made with the intention of absconding if it is lost. Only in phrases to come the levant, runor throw a levant.

intransitive. To steal away, ‘bolt’. Now esp. of a betting man or gamester: To abscond.

transitive. slang and English regional. To bet a pound, or an extravagant amount, on (an event or outcome). Also with clause as object. Esp. in to pou…

intransitive. Horse Racing. To bet on the field (see field, n.1 9a) against the favourite; to bet or offer odds, esp. against a particular horse…

Phrases: to fit like a glove: to fit or suit perfectly. to handle without gloves: to treat severely or without mercy; so to handle with gloves off…

to buy money: see quot. 1922. Horse Racing slang.

colloquial. intransitive. To spend money recklessly; to run into debt; to speculate or gamble large sums.

In catchphrase to bet like the Watsons: to wager large sums.

Originally U.S. The nose of a horse used as an indication of the smallest possible winning margin in a horse race (as an official designation in the…