Meaning/origin of "You bet" as a response to "Thank you"

In a radio show (such as APM Marketplace), when a host interviews a guest, the conversation ends with the host saying "Thank you" and the guest saying something similar in response.

Usually it is "Thank you" or "Great to be with you" or "My pleasure".

Often they respond with "You bet", which really puzzles me. I am aware of the idiom, but even that doesn't make sense in this situation.

My questions are:

• What exactly is that supposed to mean here?
• How did it become one of the standard responses to "Thank you" in this context?
• Is it a good response to "Thank you" in real life, i.e. outside of the radio show?

Solution 1:

The phrase "you bet" is the equivalent of saying "that's for sure." Essentially, the speaker is replying in the affirmative. The extension of the idiom to the context of a radio show can be interpreted to mean "you can count on me." When the radio show host is ending the interview with the guest, he is telling the guest that his time is appreciated. Replying with "you bet" is positive feedback that the guest has fulfilled his role.

Solution 2:

Just came across this blog randomly, but I couldn't help but weigh in and agree with Andrew Ng. I live in the southeastern United States... born in North Carolina, raised in Georgia, currently practicing law in Mississippi. In the "South," as we like to call it here, the reply "You bet" is an extremely common phrase. As Andrew Ng pointed out, using the response "You bet!" is about like saying: "Sure! Anytime!" "Absolutely man!" "No problem!" "I really enjoyed it!" "You can count on me to be back anytime!"

I think the phrase comes from the fact that a bet is a wager... to bet means you are affirming something, right? You are betting on it, you are enthusiastic about it.

As a matter of fact, as I am writing this I received a text message from a friend who just invited me to breakfast. However I have already eaten breakfast so I told him to go ahead, that I would call him at noon and we would go play a round of golf. His response was literally, "Bet" which is basically "you bet" for short. In other words, we are on. He is taking me up on my offer. Hope this helps.

Solution 3:

It's an idiomatic affirmation. You're not going to understand it by parsing the grammar or semantics. Just accept that it is a contemporary, colloquial alternative to "You're welcome".

Solution 4:

Everyone is just telling you that it is an affirmative answer, which we all already knew.

"You [can] bet [on me being glad/here to help you.]" is how I always took it. I think that is only because of its similarity with "you can bet on it". I have nothing at all to back this up.

I use it all of the time. Every English speaker seems to understand. Non-English speakers wonder why I've said this, and I still have no real answer as to the origins to give them. -ahem-