0

A: Thank you!

B: You betcha!

I've heard the phrase "You betcha" several times as a form of agreement or understanding. Though, I don't understand what it means after the exclamation "Thank you".

I assume it could mean you're welcome/no problem/it's my pleasure, but it's a shot in the dark.

  1. What exactly does it mean?
  2. Does it imply that B expects something from A in return?

Thank you. Any help would be appriciated.

2

In dialects where it is used (northern Midwest of the United States, I think, and I believe it's in nearby bits of Canada as well), you betcha is a general all-purpose affirmative. In other American dialects, you bet fills the same role. In other English dialects, you bet has a much more restricted role, serving only to indicate enthusiastic agreement - coming from the sense of "you could put a bet on that, it's a sure thing".

Such a general all-purpose affirmative can stand in place of near enough any positive, not-terribly-meaningful thing anyone might say. So it can indicate agreement or approval, or stand in for any response that is not negative. Thus, it could be seen as being equivalent to "you're welcome" or any similar response to "thank you".

2

"You betcha" is typically heard in the American Upper Midwest,1 but perhaps some people outside of that region also use the phrase.

Its meaning is essentially the same as the more common "you bet." Both are used to mean, yes or definitely.

As with all replies to "thank you," it doesn't have meaning beyond a friendly acknowledgment of the thanks. In other words, it has the exact same meaning as "you're welcome," "no problem," "my pleasure," "any time," "of course," etc.


1: As in the Sons of Norway chant: "Lutefisk, lutefisk, lefse, lefse. We're the mighty Vikings, yah, sure, ya betcha"

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