— bank on : to depend or rely on bank on her friendship>
(freedictionary)
To have confidence in; rely on.
(thePhraseFinder)
: From The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition:
: PHRASAL VERB: bank on To have confidence in; rely on. : ETYMOLOGY: Middle English "banke", from French "banque", from Old Italian "banca", bench, moneychanger's table, from Old High German "banc".
: That leads me to believe the original meaning may have had nothing to do with faith in banking establishments and the idea of a the bench literally being "something you can count on".
BANK "n. In phrase: 'take to (or put in) the bank (pop. by the eponymous hero of the TV series Baretta; cf. S.E. (compare Standard English)'bankable' 'prestigious enough to ensure profitability,' current since the late 1950s) to be absolutely assured of (something); to bank on. 1977 A. Patrick 'Beyond Law' 59 If I catch you on my turf again, I'm gonna push your pretty face in! And you can take dat to de bank!." From the "Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Volume 1, A-G" by J.E. Lighter, Random House, New York, 1994.
