blow up the tote

English

Alternative forms

• light up the tote

Etymology

From the whimsical notion that the payout on a particularly high-priced longshot might be a larger number than the tote board is capable of computing and/or displaying.

Verb

blow up the tote (third-person singular simple present blows up the tote, present participle blowing up the tote, simple past blew up the tote, past participle blown up the tote)

1. (horse racing, of a horse) To win a race as a long shot.

   Giacomo blew up the tote by winning the 2005 Kentucky Derby at odds of 50-1.

Usage notes

The shortest odds at which a horse can be said to have blown up the tote is a matter of opinion.