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lay away money
MEANING: save money
EXAMPLE: I am trying hard to lay away enough money to buy a house.
layaway plan
MEANING: a plan in which one pays some money as a down-payment and then pays a little more when one can and the store holds the article until the full price is paid
EXAMPLE: We brought our furniture on the layaway plan at the store.
lay out
MEANING: spend, pay
EXAMPLE: I had to lay out a lot of money to get my car fixed so now I don’t have any money to go out.
live from hand to mouth
MEANING: live on little money
EXAMPLE: My friend has been living from hand to mouth on his savings from his last job.
live high off the hog
MEANING: have the best of everything, live in great comfort
EXAMPLE: My mother and father have been living high off the hog since they won the lottery.
loaded
MEANING: have lots of money
EXAMPLE: My uncle is loaded and always has lots of money.
lose your shirt
MEANING: lose all or most of your money
EXAMPLE: I lost my shirt in a business venture and now I have no money.
make a bundle
MEANING: make a lot of money
EXAMPLE: I made a bundle on the stock market and have since bought a house.
make a killing
MEANING: make a large amount of money
EXAMPLE: My sister made a killing when she worked overseas in the oil industry.
make a living
MEANING: earn enough money to live
EXAMPLE: If you want to make a good living it is necessary to get a good education.
make ends meet
MEANING: have enough money to pay your bills
EXAMPLE: I have been having trouble making ends meet because the rent for my apartment is too high.
make money hand over fist
MEANING: fast and in large amounts
EXAMPLE: My cousin has been making money hand over fist with her business.
money to burn
MEANING: very much money, more money than is needed
EXAMPLE: My aunt has money to burn and is always travelling somewhere.
hand-out
MEANING: a gift of money (usually from the government)
EXAMPLE: After receiving hand-outs from the government for many years they finally had to make money on their own.
hand to mouth
MEANING: having only enough money for basic living
EXAMPLE: My friend has been living from hand to mouth since he lost his job.
hard up
MEANING: not have much money
EXAMPLE: His brother is hard up for money and always wants to borrow some.
have sticky fingers
MEANING: be a thief
EXAMPLE: The new employee has sticky fingers and many things in the store have disappeared.
highway robbery
MEANING: charge a high price for something
EXAMPLE: The amount of money that the company is charging for its services is highway robbery.
hit the jackpot
MEANING: make a lot of money suddenly
EXAMPLE: We hit the jackpot at the casino and came home with a lot of money.
in the black
MEANING: profitable, making money
EXAMPLE: Our company has been in the black since it was first started.
in the hole
MEANING: in debt, owing money
EXAMPLE: I think that we are going in the hole in our attempts to make our business prosper.
in the red
MEANING: unprofitable, losing money
EXAMPLE: The company has been in the red for several months now and will soon have to go bankrupt.
keep books
MEANING: keep records of money earned and spent
EXAMPLE: The accountant has been keeping careful books of all the transactions in the company.
kickback
MEANING: money paid illegally for favorable treatment
EXAMPLE: The politician received several illegal kickbacks and had to resign from his job.
Dutch treat
MEANING: something where each person pays their own share
EXAMPLE: We went to the movie as a Dutch treat so it didn’t cost me much money.
face value
MEANING: the worth or price printed on a stamp, bond, note or paper money etc.
EXAMPLE: The face value of the stamp was very low but in reality it was worth a lot of money.
fast buck
MEANING: money earned quickly and easily (and sometimes dishonestly)
EXAMPLE: The company tried to make a fast buck on the property but they actually lost a lot of money.
feel like a million dollars/bucks
MEANING: feel wonderful
EXAMPLE: Although I have been sick for a few weeks I feel like a million dollars today.
flat broke
MEANING: having no money, penniless
EXAMPLE: I am flat broke and don’t even have enough money to pay my rent.
foot the bill
MEANING: pay
EXAMPLE: My sister is footing the bill for her daughter’s education so she is making sure that she studies hard.
for a song
MEANING: at a low price, cheaply
EXAMPLE: We bought the car for a song and will try and sell it for a higher price.
fork over
MEANING: pay, pay out
EXAMPLE: I forked over a lot of money for the painting that is hanging on my wall.
for love or money (usually negative)
MEANING: for anything, for any price
EXAMPLE: I would not want to have to do that man’s job for love or money.
go broke
MEANING: lose all your money, have no money
EXAMPLE: My uncle started a company last year but it quickly went broke.
gravy train
MEANING: getting paid more money than the job is worth
EXAMPLE: The job was a gravy train and I made a lot of money when I was there.
grease your palm
MEANING: give a tip, pay for a special favor or extra help, bribe
EXAMPLE: The waiter was greasing his palm at the restaurant until he was finally fired.
cheapskate
MEANING: a person who will not spend much money, a stingy person
EXAMPLE: My friend is a cheapskate and won’t even go to a movie with me.
chicken feed
MEANING: a small amount of money
EXAMPLE: His son always wants to borrow money and says that it is only chicken feed but little by little it adds up to a lot of money.
chip in
MEANING: contribute money or pay jointly
EXAMPLE: Everyone in our company chipped in some money to buy a wedding present for our boss.
clean up
MEANING: make a lot of money, make a big profit
EXAMPLE: I cleaned up at the horse races last year and still have some of the money left.
cold hard cash
MEANING: cash, coins and bills
EXAMPLE: I paid for the stereo in cold hard cash.
cook the books
MEANING: illegally change information in accounting books in a company
EXAMPLE: The accountant was cooking the books for over a year before he was caught.
cut-rate
MEANING: sell for a price lower than usual
EXAMPLE: We went to a cut-rate furniture store to buy some new furniture for our apartment.
deadbeat
MEANING: person who never pays the money he owes
EXAMPLE: Recently the government has been making an effort to solve the problem of deadbeat dads who don’t support their families.
dime a dozen
MEANING: easy to get and therefore of little value
EXAMPLE: Used computers are a dime a dozen and have very little value.
down and out
MEANING: have no money
EXAMPLE: My friend was down and out for several years before he got a job and started making money.
break the bank
MEANING: win all the money at a casino gambling table EXAMPLE: He broke the bank at the casino and walked away with a lot of money.
bring home the bacon
MEANING: earn the family livingEXAMPLE: I have been working hard all month bringing home the bacon for my family.
burn a hole in your pocket
MEANING: money that one wishes or intends to spend quickly (often for something frivolous)EXAMPLE: The money had been burning a hole in his pocket when he decided to go to the casino.
buy off
MEANING: give money to someone to stop them from doing their duty EXAMPLE: They tried to buy off the politician but he refused to go along with their plan.
cash-and-carry
MEANING: selling something for cash only with no delivery EXAMPLE: We were able to get a good price on a sofa in a cash-and-carry deal at the furniture store.
cash in
MEANING: exchange coupons or bonds for their value in money EXAMPLE: I cashed in a large number of my savings bonds in order to get some money to buy a house.
cash in on
MEANING: make money from an opportunity EXAMPLE: The former football player cashed in on his popularity to open a very successful restaurant.
cash in your chips
MEANING: exchange or sell something to get some money EXAMPLE: I decided to cash in my chips to get some money to go back to school.
cash on the barrelhead
MEANING: money paid in cash when something is bought EXAMPLE: I had to pay cash on the barrelhead for the used car.
caught short
MEANING: not have enough money when you need it EXAMPLE: I was caught short and had to borrow some money from my father last week.
ante up
MEANING: pay, produce a necessary amount of money
EXAMPLE: I had to ante up a lot of money to get my car fixed.
at all costs
MEANING: at any expense of time, effort or money
EXAMPLE: He plans to go to school at all costs.
back on your feet
MEANING: return to good financial health
EXAMPLE: My sister is back on her feet after losing her job last year.
bet your bottom dollar
MEANING: bet all one has on something
EXAMPLE: I would bet my bottom dollar that the accounting manager will be late again today.
bet on the wrong horse
MEANING: base your plans on a wrong guess about the results of something
EXAMPLE: He is betting on the wrong horse if he continues to support the other candidate for mayor.
born with a silver spoon in your mouth
MEANING: born to wealth and comfort, born rich
EXAMPLE: The student in our history class was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in his life.
bottom dollar
MEANING: your last dollar
EXAMPLE: He spent his bottom dollar on some new clothes to wear for his job interview.
bottom line 1
MEANING: line in a financial statement that shows net income or loss
EXAMPLE: The bottom line in the company’s financial statement was much worse than expected.
bottom line 2
MEANING: final result, main point
EXAMPLE: The bottom line was that we were unable to attend the conference because of our busy schedule.
break even
MEANING: have income equal to expenses
EXAMPLE: Our company was able to break even after only six months of operation.
polish the apple
MEANING: flatter someone
EXAMPLE: Nobody likes her because she is always trying to polish the apple with her teacher.
souped up
MEANING: change something to make it faster or more powerful by changing or adding something
EXAMPLE: The new car that his neighbor bought is a souped up model of the one that he had last year.
salt away
MEANING: save money
EXAMPLE: He has been working there for seven years and has been able to salt away quite a lot of money.
sell like hotcakes
MEANING: sell quickly or rapidly
EXAMPLE: The new CD has only been released for about a week but already it is selling like hotcakes.
spill the beans
MEANING: tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know about it
EXAMPLE: Please don’t spill the beans about my plans to quit working and go back to school next year.
stew in one’s own juice
MEANING: suffer from something that one has caused to happen
EXAMPLE: He is the one who caused the problem for himself and is now being forced to stew in his own juice.
take with a grain of salt
MEANING: accept or believe only part of something
EXAMPLE: You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt as everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate things when he is speaking.
upset the applecart
MEANING: ruin a plan or event by surprise or accident
EXAMPLE: Everything was going well at the company until he came along and upset the apple cart.
worth one’s salt
MEANING: being a good worker, worth what one is paid
EXAMPLE: He has only been working here for a month but over and over he has proved that he is worth his salt.
hot potato
MEANING: a question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle
EXAMPLE: The issue of building the nuclear power plant is a real hot potato for the local town council.
in a nutshell
MEANING: briefly, in a few words
EXAMPLE: We went to the meeting and they told us in a nutshell what would be happening to everyone next year.
in the soup
MEANING: in serious trouble, in disorder
EXAMPLE: She is really in the soup now. She told her boss that she was sick but he saw her downtown shopping.
make one’s mouth water
MEANING: look or smell very good, want to eat or drink very much
EXAMPLE: The restaurant is supposed to be wonderful and every time that I see the menu it makes my mouth water.
nutty as a fruitcake
MEANING: crazy
EXAMPLE: He is a very nice man but he acts strange sometimes and I often think that he is as nutty as a fruitcake.
out of the frying pan and into the fire
MEANING: go from something bad to something worse
EXAMPLE: She quit the job because of some small problems but she has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire because now her problems are much worse.
out to lunch
MEANING: crazy, mad
EXAMPLE: She is totally out to lunch and you should never believe what she tells you.
piece of cake
MEANING: a task that is easily accomplished
EXAMPLE: It was a piece of cake. I had everything done before lunch this morning.
cry over spilt milk
MEANING: cry or complain about something that has already happened
EXAMPLE: Don’t cry over spilt milk. The past is past and you can’t do anything to change it.
cup of tea
MEANING: something one enjoys or does well
EXAMPLE: Going to art galleries is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home this evening and not go with you.
eat crow
MEANING: admit one is mistaken or defeated, take back a mistaken statement
EXAMPLE: I was forced to eat crow and had to apologize for the mistake that I made about the restructuring of our company.
eat dirt
MEANING: act humble, accept another’s insult or bad treatment
EXAMPLE: We made him eat dirt after he accused us of lying about the salary cut.
eat humble pie
MEANING: be humbled, admit one’s error and apologize
EXAMPLE: Our boss was forced to eat humble pie after everyone realized that he had made the wrong budget estimate for next year.
eat one’s cake and have it too
MEANING: use or spend something and still keep it
EXAMPLE: He refuses to give up anything and always wants to eat his cake and have it too.
eat one’s words
MEANING: take back something one has said, admit something is not true
EXAMPLE: I told my boss that I would be leaving but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay.
egg on
MEANING: urge someone on
EXAMPLE: Many people at the soccer game were egged on by the drunken fans.
finger in the pie
MEANING: participate in something that is happening
EXAMPLE: He always tries to keep his finger in the pie so that he can control everything.
full of beans
MEANING: feel energetic, in high spirits
EXAMPLE: She is full of beans tonight and doesn’t want to stop talking.
gravy train
MEANING: a job or work that pays more than it is worth
EXAMPLE: For many years his job was a real gravy train but now the company has become very strict and will not pay overtime.
half-baked
MEANING: not thought out or studied carefully
EXAMPLE: He has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail.
hand to someone on a silver platter
MEANING: give a person something that has not been earned
EXAMPLE: His education was handed to him on a silver platter and now he is very spoiled and selfish.
hard nut to crack
MEANING: something or someone difficult to understand or do
EXAMPLE: He is a very serious person and is a very hard nut to crack.
(get or) have egg on one’s face
MEANING: be embarrassed
EXAMPLE: He has egg on his face because everyone knows that he was sick at the party.
hit the sauce
MEANING: drink alcohol – usually regularly
EXAMPLE: I think that she has begun to hit the sauce since her husband lost his job.
apple of her/his eye
MEANING: someone or something that one likes a lot
EXAMPLE: The little girl is the apple of her grandfather’s eye.
bad egg
MEANING: a bad person, bum
EXAMPLE: That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can.
big cheese
MEANING: an important person, a leader
EXAMPLE: He is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him.
bread and butter
MEANING: basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing)
EXAMPLE: The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes.
bring home the bacon
MEANING: earn your family’s living
EXAMPLE: Recently he has been working very hard trying to bring home the bacon. He has no time to do anything else.
butter up
MEANING: flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship
EXAMPLE: He spends most of his free time trying to butter up his boss so that he won’t have to work so hard.
carrot and stick
MEANING: promising to reward or punish someone at the same time
EXAMPLE: The government took a carrot and stick approach to the people who were illegally protesting against the construction of the dam.
cool as a cucumber
MEANING: calm, not nervous or anxious
EXAMPLE: He is always as cool as a cucumber and never worries about anything.
couch potato
MEANING: a very lazy person
EXAMPLE: He is a real couch potato and just sits around watching TV and staying indoors all day.
cream of the crop
MEANING: best of a group, the top choice
EXAMPLE: The company is well-known as a good place to work and is always able to hire the cream of the crop of university graduates.
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