take to the bank

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

take to the bank (third-person singular simple present takes to the bank, present participle taking to the bank, simple past took to the bank, past participle taken to the bank)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To utterly trust, believe, or rely on.
   • 2001 June 24, “News from the National League: Davis to retire”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 8 March 2017:

     "You can take that to the bank," Davis said. "It's etched in stone."

   • 2006 May 1, David Stout, “Anna Nicole Smith Wins Supreme Court Case”, in New York Times, retrieved 8 March 2017:

     He said that is a promise that Ms. Smith and her lawyers "can take to the bank."

   • 2009 October 28, Robert Baer, “Why the CIA Can't Be Picky About Afghan Partners”, in Time, retrieved 8 March 2017:

     You can take it to the bank that the CIA knows all of this.

Usage notes

• The object of this verb is usually placed between take and to the bank.

Translations

to utterly trust, believe, or rely on

• German: drauf wetten (können), Gift drauf nehmen (können)

See also

• bank on
• take someone's word for it