PARLAY • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Parlay

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/pˈɑrleɪ/ Listen

verb

parlay v. t.

To wager the winnings plus the initial stake of one bet on a subsequent wager, or to engage in a series of such increased wagers. Note: This is the characteristic act in a common betting system used by gamblers to try to achieve a large win from a small initial stake. Statistically, it is similar to betting a small stake on a game with a large payoff and a proportionately small chance of winning.

To exploit success in one endeavor so as to achieve greater success in subsequent endeavors.

Fig., to transform a gain into something of greater value.

noun

parlay n. The act of betting the winnings from a prior bet, plus the original stake, on a subsequent bet; the second or later such bet in a series; also, a series of such bets, with the stakes for later bets coming from the winnings of earlier bets. Note: This is the characteristic act in a common betting system used by gamblers to try to achieve a large win from a small initial stake. Statistically, it is similar to betting a small stake on a game with a large payoff, but with a proportionately small chance of winning.

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Etymology of 'Parlay'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Parlay" Quotes from Famous Books

... had noticed a table near the counter, and from the faces of those who sat about it, and chance snatches of their talk, he recognized brothers of the craft. A sort of instinct, moreover, pointed out the table near the counter as a spot whence he could parlay with the owners of the restaurant. In time an acquaintance would grow up, he thought, and then in the day of distress he could no doubt obtain the necessary credit. So he took his place at a small square ...

— Lost Illusions • Honore De Balzac

... sense to do. So I'll give you a piece of advice, and it's this, don't you talk too much. You're not expected to say anything here, and you can't keep too quiet a tongue in your head. In short, the less you PARLAY, the better, you know." Mr. Bucket is very complacent ...

— Bleak House • Charles Dickens

... as the firing began, the commander and his men began to make their way toward the Greatest Noble. They had been forced to stand a good five yards away during the parlay, cut off from direct contact by the Imperial guards. The commander, sword in hand, began cutting his ...

— Despoilers of the Golden Empire • Gordon Randall Garrett

... expect a foreign young woman of your sense to do. So I'll give you a piece of advice, and it's this, don't you talk too much. You're not expected to say anything here, and you can't keep too quiet a tongue in your head. In short, the less you PARLAY, the better, you know." Mr. Bucket is very complacent over this ...

— Bleak House • Charles Dickens