ABSTRACT
Each-way Describes a bet, half of which goes on the horse to win, the other half for it to be placed: first attestation 1869, ‘one pound on Blue Gown each way’. The term has slipped easily into the general language, as in the OED’s example from The Times in 1963: ‘Why should Britain back the 625 line horse to win when we can place an each-way bet on the dual standard:’ A good each-way bet describes a horse which will start at a decent price and which seems certain to finish in the first three. Such horses invariably finish fourth.
