pencil fever
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
The situation where punters discover that a horse is almost certain to lose, and so become eager to lay bets against it.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “pencil fever” mean?
The situation where punters discover that a horse is almost certain to lose, and so become eager to lay bets against it.
Is “pencil fever” formal or informal?
pencil fever is generally slang.