to go nap
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To set oneself to make five tricks (all one can) in the game of Nap; hence, to risk all you have on some venture, to back it through thick and thin.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to go nap” mean?
To set oneself to make five tricks (all one can) in the game of Nap; hence, to risk all you have on some venture, to back it through thick and thin.
Is “to go nap” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.