Idioms about Money and Finance
Idioms about Money and Finance! The following article provides a useful list of idioms relating to Money and Finance in English with their meaning and examples.
List of 150+ Useful Money and Finance Idioms and Phrases in English
Take a beating
Meaning: suffer damage or hurt.
Example: A principle as old as ancient tribes and almost as remotely understood, diplomatic immunity is taking a beating this week.
Hit the jackpot
Meaning: to win a lot of money or have a big success
Example: The National Theatre hit the jackpot with its first musical, “Guys and Dolls”.
Put Your money where your mouth is
Meaning: take action to support one’s statements or opinions.
Example: You say you’re on the side of the workers; why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and support the strike?
Get a run for your money
Meaning: to give someone a run for their money
Example: He’ll give those professional players a run for their money.
On the money
Meaning: accurate; correct.
Example: The dollar has steadied after early losses on the money markets.
Bottom dollar
Meaning: last dollar
Example: He talks about it a lot, but I would bet my bottom dollar that he has never actually been there.
In the hole
Meaning: in debt.
Example: I was something like $16,000 in the hole already.
Beyond your means
Meaning: they are spending more money than they can afford.
Example: My family always lived beyond our means so my financial habits are not very good
Balance the books
Meaning: to make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received
Example: We had to take money from the savings account in order to balance the books.
Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: be extremely expensive.
Example: I’d love to buy a Porsche, but they cost an arm and a leg.
Smart money
Meaning: money bet or invested by people with expert knowledge.
Example: The smart money is coming back into mortgages as the best investment now.
Make a killing
Meaning: to make a large profit quickly
Example: Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.
Ante up
Meaning: increase what is at stake or under discussion, especially in a conflict or dispute.
Example: Small firms that want to expand must ante up large legal fees.
Earn a living
Meaning: to earn the money needed for food, clothing, etc.
Example: The idea that one can earn a living away from the smoke, perhaps by tele-commuting, are popularised by journalists.
In kind
Meaning: in the same way; with something similar.
Example: After recent bombings, counter-terrorist forces could retaliate in kind.
Gravy train
Meaning: used to refer to a situation in which someone can make a lot of money for very little effort.
Example: Their gravy train ended when the government stopped funding the research project.
Shake them down
Meaning: use threats or search you physically in order to obtain something from you.
Example: People get pissed off when you shake them down.
Money is no object
Meaning: someone is not concerned about the price of things.
Example: Real Programmers never program COBOL, money is no object.
Hard up
Meaning: short of money.
Example: They’re not really as hard up as they say they are.
A light purse is a heavy curse
Meaning: Life is difficult when you don’t have much money.
Example: A light purse is a heavy curse.
Paycheck to paycheck
Meaning: all your money comes in and goes right back out again by the end of the month
Example: We are living paycheck to paycheck and have no money left over for savings.
Cash in your chips
Meaning: to sell something such as your investments, in order to raise money.
Example: Because his argument wasn’t convincing the committee, Tony decided to cash in his chips and go home.
Deadbeat
Meaning: an idle, feckless, or disreputable person.
Example: The new law is aimed at deadbeat landlords who owe $22 million.
Soft money
Meaning: contributions made outside the limits and prohibitions of federal law.
Example: Restrictions on soft money have been endorsed by Sen.
Cash-and-carry
Meaning: a store where businesses and other customers can pay cash for goods at low prices and take them away instead of having them delivered.
Example: Linked often enough, their various connections evoked images in the media of a conspiracy involving cash-and-carry favors.
Keep the wolf from the door
Meaning: have enough money to avert hunger or starvation (used hyperbolically).
Example: Their wages are barely enough to keep the wolf from the door.
Mint condition
Meaning: a state of being like new.
Example: Goods up for grabs include mint condition used kids clothes, books, toys and games, along with maternity clothes.
Cash cow
Meaning: a business, investment, or product that provides a steady income or profit.
Example: But the biggest cash cow is lower – undergraduate education.
Tidy sum of money
Meaning: a large number or amount or extent.
Example: My new house cost me a tidy sum of money.
Grease their palm
Meaning: bribe (someone).
Example: I greased the hostess’ palm to get a table without reservation.
Break the bank
Meaning: (in gambling) win more money than is held by the bank.
Example: Come on! One evening at the theatre won’t break the bank.
Pennies from heaven
Meaning: unexpected benefits, especially financial ones.
Example: You need more money but you can’t rely on pennies from heaven. You’ll just have to work harder.
Golden handshake
Meaning: a large sum of money given to an employee when they leave their job or given to persuade them to leave their job
Example: The directors will each get a large golden handshake and a pension.
Don’t take any wooden nickels
Meaning: Do not permit yourself to be cheated or duped; do not be naive.
Example: Pick up some flour and coffee while you’re in town and don’t take any wooden nickels.
Struggle to make ends meet
Meaning: to pay for the things that you need to live when you have little money.
Example: We had a hard time making ends meet.
Stinking rich
Meaning: extremely rich
Example: He’s stinking rich, and with no more talent than he ever had before.
Almighty dollar
Meaning: often used to satirize obsession with material wealth, or with capitalism in general.
Example: It wants to slowly dethrone the almighty dollar as the currency of choice in most global trade deals.
Not made of money
Meaning: someone does not have large amounts of money
Example: No you can’t have another bike – I’m not made of money!
Pony up
Meaning: to pay (a particular amount of money) for something
Example: All investors had to pony up a minimum of $5000.
A day late and a dollar short
Meaning: Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect
Example: As my mother used to say, Dash was a day late and a dollar short: Starr hadn’t cared about the lawfulness of his behavior for a long time.
In the red
Meaning: spending more money than you earn
Example: The temperature gauge on the Studebaker was back in the red, almost to 220 again.
Throw good money after bad
Meaning: To waste money in a fruitless attempt to recoup losses previously incurred
Example: That’s where you throw good money after bad, or as the government calls it, a stimulus package.
Have sticky fingers
Meaning: to be likely to steal
Example: The last person we hired in the shop turned out to have sticky fingers.
For peanuts
Meaning: a very small amount of money
Example: His discoveries included 300 uses for peanuts and 200 uses for sweet potatoes.
Buy someone off
Meaning: to give someone money so that person will help you or let you do something that is not legal
Example: They tried to buy the guard at the bank off but he told the police and the gang was arrested.
Heavy money
Meaning: A lot of money.
Example: Further down, he found a heavy money belt.
Caught short
Meaning: not having enough of something
Example: Mrs Hobbs was caught short when the newspaper boy came for his money a day early.
Live beyond your means
Meaning: to spend more money than you receive as income
Example: If that’s her only income, she appears to be living beyond her means.
Money talks
Meaning: wealth gives power and influence to those who possess it.
Example: Money talks, and poor working people are ignored.
A penny saved is a penny earned
Meaning: it is wise to save money
Example: A penny saved is a penny earned(or gained).
Blank check
Meaning: a signed cheque with the amount left for the payee to fill in
Example: The President was given a blank check by Congress to continue the war.
Get along on a shoestring
Meaning: you do it with a very small amount of money
Example: I wish I could go to your bachelorette party but I’m on a shoestring.
(To) nickel and dime
Meaning: greedily or unfairly charge (someone) many small amounts for minor services.
Example: The banks nickle and dime you to death with all the little fees they charge you.
Cut a check
Meaning: to write a check and give it to someone.
Example: When the damage assessor called, he cut a check for $139.
Break even
Meaning: reach a point in a business venture when the profits are equal to the costs.
Example: We’re hoping that we’ll at least break even, and perhaps make a small profit.
Pay the piper
Meaning: To pay a monetary or other debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable or a result of something one has enjoyed.
Example: At the end of the day, those who pay the piper must call the tune.
Have money to burn/burning a hole in your pocket
Meaning: you are very eager to spend it
Example: The day I got my allowance, I hurried down to the sporting goods store, the money burning a hole in my pocket.
Mad money
Meaning: A sum of money, often relatively small in amount, kept in reserve to use for impulsive, frivolous purposes
Example: Many speculator mad money during the decline of the stock market by fishing in troubled waters.
Keep our heads above water
Meaning: to just be able to manage, especially when you have financial difficulties
Example: I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to keep our heads above water.
Tighten your belt
Meaning: cut one’s expenditure; live more frugally.
Example: Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you’ll need to tighten your belt.
Cook the books
Meaning: alter facts or figures dishonestly or illegally.
Example: Fudge the figures; cook the books; falsify the data.
Live from hand to mouth
Meaning: to have just enough money to live on and nothing extra
Example: These people live from hand to mouth on berries and roots.
Fork out/fork over
Meaning: to pay. to hand over or use up in payment
Example: I had to fork out for a cab home.
Shell out
Meaning: pay a specified amount of money, especially an amount that is resented as being excessive.
Example: If play improvements are only incremental, why shell out the cash to buy a 32-bit rig or an N64?
Chip in
Meaning: join or interrupt a conversation by making a remark.
Example: His grandfather would always chip in while we were talking.
Two sides of the same coin
Meaning: Two aspects of the same thing
Example: Snapshots and consumer imagery were fast becoming two sides of the same coin.
Penny pincher
Meaning: One who spends little money; one who is very frugal or cautious with money
Example: Tom is such penny pincher, and none likes to be with him.
Money grubber
Meaning: a person who cares too much about getting money
Example: They thought that doctors were lazy money-grubbers with time on their hands.
Rain check
Meaning: a ticket given for later use when a sporting fixture or other outdoor event is interrupted or postponed by rain.
Example: Mind if I take a rain check on that drink? I have to work late tonight.
Quick buck
Meaning: easily and quickly earned money
Example: The rule of the quick buck often clashes with the law of human dignity.
Fast buck
Meaning: easily and quickly earned money.
Example: I think people go out to make a fast buck without worrying about the consequences.
Spent a fortune
Meaning: an extremely large amount of money
Example: The estate already has spent a fortune litigating the matter.
Red cent
Meaning: the smallest amount of money.
Example: I wouldn’t give him one red cent for that car.
Dirt cheap
Meaning: extremely cheap.
Example: Such cheap goods obviously rely on dirt cheap labor.
Penny-wise and pound foolish
Meaning: Prudent and thrifty with small amounts of money, but wasteful with large amounts.
Example: If patient from examines blindly from the medicine, will often be penny-wise and pound foolish, will create inevitably “troublesome”.
Fool’s gold
Meaning: A mineral or other substance often mistaken for gold; mainly iron pyrite
Example: That investment seemed to be a good one, but I found out that it was fool’s gold when it crashed and burned.
Bet on the wrong horse
Meaning: Guess wrongly or misjudge a future outcome
Example: we obviously backed the wrong horse, or Counting on the price of IBM to rise sharply was betting on the wrong horse.
Worth its weight in gold
Meaning: emphasizing that they are so useful, helpful, or valuable that you feel you could not manage without them
Example: Your grandmother’s stories are worth their weight in gold
By check
Meaning: examine (something) in order to determine its accuracy, quality, or condition, or to detect the presence of something.
Example: Payment must be by check or money order.
Color of their money
Meaning: you are not prepared to sell them something or do something for them until they have proved that they have the money to pay for it.
Example: He never entered into conversation with a customer until he’d seen the colour of his money.
Float a loan
Meaning: to allow someone to borrow money from you
Example: I had to float a loan to pay for the medical expenses.
Breadwinner
Meaning: a person who earns money to support their family, typically the sole one.
Example: There’s another kind of breadwinner – women on their own with no regrets.
As poor as a church mouse
Meaning: Very poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute.
Example: Paul: I wish I had more money. I’m as poor as a church mouse.
Have the penny drop
Meaning: used to indicate that someone has finally realized something
Example: I was about to ask Jack who it was, when the penny suddenly dropped.
Pretty penny
Meaning: A considerable amount of money; a high price or a high income.
Example: Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny.
From rags to riches
Meaning: used to describe a person’s rise from a state of extreme poverty to one of great wealth.
Example: These he is at pains to hide in order to promote the fiction of his rise from rags to riches.
Live within your means
Meaning: you have enough money to cover all expenses.
Example: Live within your means and save for a rainy day.
Dime a dozen
Meaning: very common and of no particular value
Example: Novels like this one are a dime a dozen: write something original!
Close-fisted
Meaning: to spend money
Example: Mr. Lee, a close-fisted man, never wants to donate anything for charity.
Chicken feed
Meaning: a ridiculously small sum of money.
Example: The sum was chicken feed, and the more governmental corruption that went on there, the better.
A fool and his money are soon parted
Meaning: a foolish person spends money carelessly and will soon be penniless.
Example: Mike likes living in style – but then a fool and his money are easily parted.
Feel the pinch
Meaning: experience hardship, especially financial.
Example: Local stores and businesses are beginning to feel the pinch from the economic crisis.
Monopoly money
Meaning: money regarded as having no real existence or value.
Example: In the romantically primed group, the men went wild with the Monopoly money.
I don’t have two nickels/pennies to rub together
Meaning: to have very little money.
Example: During college, when I didn’t have two pennies to rub together, I survived off of ramen noodles for months at a time.
Back on your feet
Meaning: to be healthy again after a period of illness
Example: I had a hard time getting back on my feet after I slipped on the ice.
Two cents
Meaning: an unsolicited opinion
Example: On the foreign exchanges the pound rose two cents against the dollar to $1.52.
Bang for your buck
Meaning: value for money.
Example: That restaurant is great, and the prices are very reasonable—you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Make a buck
Meaning: trying to earn some money
Example: The owners don’t want to overlook any opportunity to make a buck.
Get off scot-free
Meaning: to not get the punishment that is deserved
Example: When the offenders of the law get off scot-free and the undeserved get rewards, it goes without saying that the state is heading toward destruction.
He who pays the piper calls the tune
Meaning: the person who provides the money for something has the right to determine how it’s spent.
Example: At the end of the day, though, their company is paying for the study, and he who pays the piper calls the tune.
Lose money hand over fist
Meaning: you make or lose a lot of money very quickly
Example: Companies around the world are losing money hand over fist as oil prices continue to plummet.
Front money
Meaning: money that is paid in advance for a promised service or product.
Example: I put up a lot of front money and have nothing to show for it.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
Meaning: that something that one person considers to be of no value or useless may be valuable or useful to someone else.
Example: A: “I really don’t understand the appeal of Jackson Pollock paintings—they just look like splatters of paint to me!” B: “Eh, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Take the money and run
Meaning: To accept or be satisfied with what one has earned, achieved, or accumulated in some activity, endeavor, or arrangement and refrain from trying to improve the terms.
Example: I knew it wasn’t the best contract I could possibly get, but it would be easy enough to do, so I decided to take the money and run.
Give someone a run for their money
Meaning: To challenge one’s ability, fortitude, or patience.
Example: Don’t underestimate our opponents today – I think they’ll give us a run for our money.
Squirrel away
Meaning: To hide, reserve, or hoard something for future use. A noun or pronoun can be used between “squirrel” and “away.”
Example: The mortgage traders offset the losses with profits they had squirreled away for a rainy day.
Easy money
Meaning: money obtained by dubious means or for little work
Example: Making easy money has always been an attractive proposition.
Pour money down the drain
Meaning: spoiled or wasted
Example: I don’t know why you pour money down the drain on such useless things.
Free and clear
Meaning: without owing any money
Example: After paying on it for five years, I finally own my car free and clear!
Take It to the bank
Meaning: Something or an event will most definitely, securely, without a doubt, guaranteed will happen.
Example: I heard from a very reliable source that this company is about to close – you can take it to the bank.
Pass the hat
Meaning: collect contributions of money from a number of people for a specific purpose.
Example: We’re going to pass the hat round later, buy some beer and go back to their place.
Down-and-out
Meaning: (of a person) without money, a job, or a place to live; destitute.
Example: A down-and-out writer sells his soul to the devil in exchange for fame and fortune.
Foot the bill
Meaning: pay the bill for something, typically when the amount is considered large or unreasonable.
Example: The program asks businesses to foot the bill for daily newspapers in the classroom.
Dime a dozen
Meaning: very common and of no particular value
Example: Metaphors of Britain’s decline have been a dime a dozen in the post-war years.
In for a penny, in for a pound
Meaning: used to say that a person should finish what he or she has started to do even though it may be difficult or expensive.
Example: We can’t turn in a half-finished report, so we need to stay up all night and get it done. In for a penny, as they say.
Kickback
Meaning: a sudden forceful recoil.
Example: Most focus on illegal kickbacks on public works contracts.
Dollar for dollar
Meaning: Considering the amount of money something costs and its value.
Example: The state promised to match the counties dollar for dollar to pay for services including medication, psychotherapy and residential care.
Put in your 2 cents
Meaning: to offer one’s opinion or suggestion on a particular matter, usually in a casual or informal setting
Example: If I may put my two cents in, that hat doesn’t do you any favors
Throw money around
Meaning: to spend money in a foolish or careless way.
Example: He lost his job, but still seems to have plenty of money to throw around.
Other side of the coin
Meaning: a different way of considering a situation, making it seem either better or worse than it did originally
Example: I’d love to go out with you tonight, but, on the other side of the coin, I could use some extra sleep too.
Pinch pennies
Meaning: be careful about how much one spends.
Example: We decided not to pinch pennies with our upcoming party.
Head over heels in debt
Meaning: Having amassed a large amount of debt.
Example: After I graduated from law school, I found myself head over heels in debt.
Going rate
Meaning: The current standard or usual price, rate, or salary for something
Example: The going rate for freelance work is 5 an hour.
Stone broke
Meaning: entirely without money.
Example: The stone broke the surface of the water.
Nickel and dime
Meaning: greedily or unfairly charge (someone) many small amounts for minor services.
Example: The banks nickle and dime you to death with all the little fees they charge you.
Cash in
Meaning: take advantage of or exploit a situation.
Example: Investors were storing up a lot of cash in anticipation of disaster.
Turn up like a bad penny
Meaning: to appear again in a place where you are not welcome or wanted.
Example: I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of your conniving cousin – he always manages to turn up like a bad penny.
Flat broke
Meaning: not having any money at all
Example: Mary recalls how they were flat broke and almost living hand to mouth.
At the drop of a dime
Meaning: they will do it instantly, without hesitation.
Example: You speak as if you have such talented people at the drop of a dime.
Control the purse strings
Meaning: to make the decisions about how money is spent.
Example: Women control the purse strings of most families.
Go broke/go bust
Meaning: to spend or lose all of one’s money
Example: The company’s about to go broke, or The producer of that movie went bust.
Worth your salt
Meaning: good or competent at the job or profession specified.
Example: Any coach worth his salt would do exactly as I did.
To take at face value
Meaning: to accept something as it appears to be rather than studying it more closely
Example: I took the offer at face value.
Not for love nor money
Meaning: it is impossible to get it or to persuade them to do it
Example: You can’t get hold of those tickets for love nor money these days.
Pass the buck
Meaning: shift the responsibility for something to someone else
Example: I don’t think I can trust Fred with demanding tasks. He’s always trying to pass the buck.
Clean up
Meaning: make someone or something clean or neat.
Example: We’ll go out as soon as I’ve cleaned up the kitchen.
At a premium
Meaning: above the usual or nominal price.
Example: Good student accommodation is at a premium.
Go dutch
Meaning: share the cost of something, especially a meal, equally.
Example: She always insists on going Dutch when they go out together.
Daylight robbery
Meaning: blatant and unfair overcharging.
Example: Three pounds for two sandwiches? It’s daylight robbery!
Pick up the tab/check
Meaning: to pay a bill (such as for a meal or drinks at a bar)
Example: The company picked up the entire tab for my trip.
As sound as a dollar
Meaning: Very secure and dependable
Example: They’re trying to convince me that this investment is as sound as a dollar, but I have my doubts.
You Can Take It to the Bank
Meaning: Something or an event will most definitely, securely, without a doubt, guaranteed will happen.
Example: I heard from a very reliable source that this company is about to close – you can take it to the bank.
Cheapskate
Meaning: a person who is unwilling to spend money
Example: Don’t be such a cheapskate – it’s your turn to buy lunch.
Crunch the Numbers
Meaning: to process numbers
Example: Professors Wilkinson and Pickett crunch the numbers and show that the same relationship holds true for a range of social problems.
Big bucks
Meaning: large amounts of money.
Example: Sports stars earn big bucks for pushing everything from shoes to soft drinks.
Cash in on
Meaning: take advantage of or exploit a situation.
Example: The record company was trying to cash in on her fame by releasing early teenage recordings.
Jack up the price
Meaning: To raise, increase, or accelerate; often said of prices, fees, or rates.
Example: Companies bid low to get the first contract, assuming they can jack up the price later.
Square accounts
Meaning: to make certain that you have paid and received all the money that you owed or that others owed you
Example: I should manage to square accounts with bank before the end of this month.
Heads or tales
Meaning: this side or that side. often used in plural in tossing a coin to decide a choice, question, or stake
Example: Heads or tails refers to the two sides of a coin
Bread and butter
Meaning: a person’s livelihood or main source of income.
Example: The mobile phone business was actually his bread and butter.
Strike gold
Meaning: discover gold during the course of drilling or mining.
Example: She is the favourite to strike gold in the 400 metres hurdles.
Pay top dollar
Meaning: to pay a lot of money for something
Example: People will always pay top dollar for something exclusive.
Pay your own way
Meaning: to pay for yourself rather than allowing someone else to pay. Paying money
Example: I appreciate the offer to help with my tuition, but I can pay my own way!
Cut off
Meaning: remove something using a sharp implement.
Example: There is always something to be cut off young trees if they are to grow well.
Strike it rich
Meaning: acquire a great deal of money, typically in a sudden or unexpected way.
Example: Small companies strike it rich by going public on the stock exchange.
Get Your money’s worth
Meaning: to receive good value for something you have paid for
Example: We certainly didn’t get our money’s worth out of that toy – it broke in a day!
Take them to the cleaners
Meaning: take all someone’s money or possessions in a dishonest or unfair way.
Example: The con man made a living taking people to the cleaners with his scams.
Pay a king’s ransom/pay an arm and a leg
Meaning: a lot of money
Example: These shoes cost me an arm and a leg.
Ill-gotten gains
Meaning: things that someone has obtained in a dishonest or illegal way.
Example: Her husband’s in the mob, so I bet her jewelry’s all ill-gotten gains.
Pay through the nose
Meaning: pay much more than a fair price.
Example: You can get pretty good meals on airplanes these days, but you’re going to pay through the nose.
As phony as a $3 bill
Meaning: Extremely phony; fake; dishonest; completely bogus.
Example: The course claims to teach you how to get rich in a hurry, but I can tell it’s as phony as a three-dollar bill.
Rake in the money
Meaning: to earn or get a large amount of money
Example: And don’t they rake in the money too?
Sock away
Meaning: to put away (money) as savings or investment.
Example: Don’t just sock away this money under your mattress; put it in a high-interest online savings account, a certificate of deposit or a money market account.
Take up a collection
Meaning: To request and receive money or goods of value from members of a group, especially for a charitable purpose.
Example: Freeman wants the churches, temples and mosques in the county to take up a collection Sunday for the bank.
Money is the root of all evil
Meaning: avarice gives rise to selfish or wicked actions.
Example: The promise of wealth is what eventually led him to murder his own brother.
In the black
Meaning: it contains some money
Example: The man in the black overcoat shot a penetrating look at the other man.
Out-of-pocket expenses
Meaning: having lost money in a transaction.
Example: when operating a vehicle, gasoline, parking fees and tolls are considered out-of-pocket expenses for a trip.
Burn a hole in your pocket
Meaning: (of money) tempt someone to spend it quickly and extravagantly.
Example: The day I got my allowance, I hurried down to the sporting goods store, the money burning a hole in my pocket.
Strapped for cash
Meaning: not having enough money
Example: Corporate owners often find themselves strapped for cash to pay taxes.
Throw money at
Meaning: try to solve (a problem) by recklessly spending money on it, without due consideration of what is required.
Example: The Australian government’s answer to the problem has been to throw money at it.
Cut your losses
Meaning: abandon an enterprise or course of action that is clearly going to be unprofitable or unsuccessful before one suffers more loss or harm.
Example: Usually the wisest thing to do is to cut your losses early on.
Nest egg
Meaning: a sum of money saved for the future.
Example: They have a little nest egg tucked away somewhere for a rainy day.
Make ends meet
Meaning: earn just enough money to live on.
Example: I find it impossible to make ends meet on my small salary.
All that glitters is not gold
Meaning: the attractive external appearance of something is not a reliable indication of its true nature.
Example: I don’t know if that necklace from the flea market will have the resale value you’re anticipating. All that glitters is not gold, you know.
Spend a penny
Meaning: used euphemistically to refer to a need to urinate.
Example: My father said not to spend a penny more than I need.
Below par
Meaning: worse than is usual or expected.
Example: Teaching in some subjects has been well below par.
Cold hard cash
Meaning: Money, regarded as an incentive that can override any doubts or ethical concerns.
Example: An increasing number of brides and grooms want cold hard cash as presents, wedding – industry insiders say.
Hush money
Meaning: money paid to someone to prevent them from disclosing embarrassing or discreditable information.
Example: The crooks paid Fred hush money to keep their whereabouts secret.
Cut-rate
Meaning: offering goods at reduced prices.
Example: The bulk of its revenues comes from selling cut-rate subscriptions to first-time subscribers.
Up the ante
Meaning: increase what is at stake or under discussion, especially in a conflict or dispute.
Example: The owners are constantly carping about runaway salaries, then fall over themselves to jump the gun and up the ante.
Cost a pretty penny
Meaning: to be very expensive
Example: That house must have cost a pretty penny.
Rolling in money
Meaning: be very rich.
Example: He’s rolling in money! Well, he’s got a lot more than me, anyway.
Money doesn’t grow on trees
Meaning: saying. said to warn someone to be careful how much money they spend, because there is only a limited amount
Example: I can’t believe you would spend your entire allowance on a silly video game. Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know!
Dollars for doughnuts
Meaning: something is very likely or almost certain to happen. It implies that one would be willing to bet real money (dollars) on something that seems very probable or predictable, even if the potential payout is small (doughnuts).
Example: Dollars to donuts it rains tomorrow!
On the house
Meaning: (of a drink or meal in a bar or restaurant) at the management’s expense; free.
Example: I’m so sorry that you have had such an unenjoyable evening. Please accept this bottle of wine on the house as an apology.
Feel like a million dollars/bucks
Meaning: to look or feel extremely good, often because you are wearing something that costs a lot of money
Example: You look like a million dollars in that dress, honey!
Time is money
Meaning: time is a valuable resource, therefore it’s better to do things as quickly as possible.
Example: It is often said that time is money, but it is seen as cost and not value.
Sitting on a goldmine
Meaning: to own something very valuable, especially without realizing it
Example: With this new invention, we’re sitting on a goldmine.
It’s a steal
Meaning: it’s a bargain – so cheap that it’s almost as if you haven’t paid anything for it.
Example: This designer dress was a steal—you wouldn’t believe how little I paid for it.
Banner Year
Meaning: An especially good year; a year of exceptional production.
Example: Realtors are pinning their hopes for another banner year on low mortgage rates.
Have the midas touch
Meaning: financially successful in everything they do
Example: Many people think it would be nice to have the Midas touch.
Nest Egg
Meaning: a sum of money saved for the future.
Example: They have a little nest egg tucked away somewhere for a rainy day.
Pay up
Meaning: pay a debt in full.
Example: They are willing to pay up to $500 more for cars that get better mileage.
Cash in the barrelhead
Meaning: Money in the form of paper currency or coins, paid immediately at the time and place of a transaction
Example: I’ll give you $50 for that bike, cash on the barrelhead.
Bring home the bacon
Meaning: supply material support.
Example: Earn a living, provide the necessities of life, as in Now that she had a job, Patricia could bring home the bacon.
Loaded
Meaning: weighted or biased towards a particular outcome.
Example: The poor woman was loaded down with family responsibilities.
Play the market
Meaning: to actively buy and sell stocks in the hope of making a profit
Example: Investors are currently reluctant to play the market.
Make an honest buck
Meaning: someone who makes money in an honest, legal way
Example: After 10 years working for the mob, Jeremy was ready to finally start making an honest buck.
At all costs
Meaning: regardless of the price to be paid or the effort needed.
Example: Please, save my husband at all costs—I can’t live without him!
Penny for your thoughts
Meaning: used to ask someone what they are thinking about.
Example: You’ve been awfully quiet tonight, honey – a penny for your thoughts?
Bet your bottom dollar
Meaning: To be absolutely sure of something; to be certain enough of something to wager everything.
Example: I lost my umbrella, so you can bet your bottom dollar on it raining tomorrow!
