Idioms. To hedge your bet. To hedge one's bets means to do things that will prevent great loss or failure if future events do not happen as one plans or hopes. Example: "To hedge their bets, the Greeks involved in this idolatry set up a little monument off to the side. It had nothing of the splendor of the three statues that adorned the Parthenon of Athena in gold and ivory. The monument was dedicated "To the Unknown God." So just in case none of the idols the Greeks were worshipping were actually gods at all, they made sure they had honored every conceivable god, by putting up the monument, "To the Unknown God." Just in case, to be safe.