 Welcome to English in a Minute. This is a delicious donut. Here in the U.S., a donut costs about a dollar. But what could this mean? Dollars to Donuts Hey Anna, are you still riding with me to Maggie's party later? Yes, and I took a nap earlier, so I am ready to party! Great. Dollars to Donuts, we get stuck in traffic on the way, though. Dollars to Donuts, Maggie's party will go on way past midnight! Dollars to Donuts means you are sure something will happen. Experts say the phrase first appeared in the 1800s. It replaced similar expressions at the time, like dollars to buttons and dollars to dumplings. And that's English in a Minute.