Money idioms

back-of-the-envelope calculation	This expression refers to a quick approximate calculation done informally, as on the back of an envelope. I don't need the exact amount.  Just give me a back-of-the-envelope calculation.
ballpark figure	If someone gives a ballpark figure, they give an approximate number or a rough estimate of the cost of something. I don't know exactly how much it will cost, but a ballpark figure would be around $100 000.
bet your bottom dollar	If you bet your bottom dollar on something, you are absolutely certain of it. Jack is very punctual.  You can bet your bottom dollar he'll be here at 9 o'clock on the dot.
tighten your belt	If you need to tighten your belt, you must spend your money carefully because there is less available. Another bill?  I'll have to tighten my belt this month!
born with a silver spoon in your mouth	A person who is born with a silver spoon in their mouth is born into a very rich family. She never has to worry about money; she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
on the breadline	People who live on the breadline have a very low income or barely enough money to survive. Due to the recent crisis, there are more people on the breadline than ever before.
burn your fingers	If you burn your fingers (or get your fingers burnt), you suffer financially as a result of foolish behaviour. Jack got his fingers burnt playing on the stock market.
cash cow	A product or service which is a regular source of income for a company is called a cash cow. His latest invention turned out to be a real cash cow.
cash in your chips	If you cash in your chips, you sell something, especially shares, either because you need the money or because you think the value is going to fall. Andy cashed in his chips as soon as business started to slow down.
chicken feed	An amount of money considered small or unimportant is called chicken feed. I got a job during the holidays but the pay was chicken feed.
other side of the coin	When you want to mention a different or contradictory aspect of a situation, you refer to the other side of the coin. The house is lovely and spacious, but the other side of the coin is that it is far from shops and schools.
cost an arm and a leg	If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive. The house cost us an arm and a leg, but we have no regrets.
cost the earth	If something costs the earth, it is very expensive indeed. She wears designer clothes that must cost the earth!
at all costs	If you are determined to obtain or achieve something at all costs, you want it regardless of the expense, effort or sacrifice involved. The journalist was determined at all costs to get a report from the war zone.
cut one's losses	If you end or withdraw from something that is already failing, in order to reduce the loss of money, time or effort invested in it, you cut your losses. The project is heading for failure.  Let's cut our losses before it's too late.

deep pockets	A person or organization who has deep pockets has a lot of money. Andy's business is not doing well at the moment. He says he needs a friend with deep pockets!
down payment	When someone makes a down payment, they pay part of the total amount agreed when signing a purchase deal or contract. Emma and Paul are excited.  They put a down payment on their first house yesterday.
go Dutch	To go Dutch with somebody means to share the cost of something such as a meal or a concert. Young people today tend to go Dutch when they go out together.
eat/dip into one's savings	If you eat or dip into your savings, you spend part of the money you have put aside for future use. I had to dip into my savings to have the car repaired.
feather your nest	To say of someone that they are feathering their nest means that they are taking advantage of their position in order to obtain money and enjoy have a comfortable life.
feed the kitty	If you feed the kitty, you contribute to a collection of money called a 'kitty' in order to help a good cause. Come on! Every little helps. You should feed the kitty for a good cause!
feel the pinch	When someone feels the pinch, they begin to suffer from a lack of money. With the drop in tourism, hotels and restaurants are beginning to feel the pinch.
gnomes of Zurich	This is a disparaging term for Swiss bankers who control a lot of money, are said to be uninterested in the provenance of funds and protect their clients' identity. The gnomes of Zurich refuse to cooperate with the investigating officials.
golden handcuffs	The term golden handcuffs refers to a large sum of money or a generous financial arrangement granted to an executive as an incentive to stay in their job, or to ensure long-term cooperation after their departure.
golden handshake	A golden handshake is a generous sum of money given to a person when they leave a company or retire (sometimes given to encourage early retirement).
gravy train	If someone is on the gravy train, they have found an easy way to make money, one that requires little effort and is without risk. Since the village has become fashionable, he charges for every photograph taken of his house - he's on a gravy train!
hard up	If you are hard up, you have very little money. We were so hard up that we had to sleep in the car.
hit pay dirt	If you hit (or strike) pay dirt, you are lucky and suddenly find yourself in a successful money-making situation. Charlie finally hit pay dirt with his latent invention.
on the house	Something which is on the house is offered free of charge, usually in a bar or restaurant. The new owner offered us a drink on the house.

ill-gotten gains	Money, profit or benefits that are made in a dishonest or illegal manner are called ill-gotten gains. He won money by cheating and is now enjoying his ill-gotten gains.
itching (itchy) palm	Someone who has an itching palm is greedy for money, for example tips or commission (as if putting money in the palm of their hand would ease the itch). He's said to have an itching palm - he does nothing without payment!
keep your head above water	To keep one's head above water means to try to survive by staying out of debt, for example a small business. Business has been slow, but we've managed to keep our head above water.
keep the wolf from the door	In order to keep the wolf from the door, you need to have enough money to buy food and other essentials. My grandparents earned barely enough money to keep the wolf from the door.
a kickback	This expression refers to money paid illegally for favourable treatment. The property developers were accused of giving kickbacks to the local authorities.
laugh all the way to the bank	A person who makes a lot of money easily, especially through someone else's stupidity, is said to laugh all the way to the bank. If we fail to renew the contract, our competitors will be laughing all the way to  the bank.
licence to print money	An officially authorized activity which enables people to make a lot of money without much effort is called a licence to print money. The contract to supply computers to schools was a licence to print money.
live beyond means	If someone lives beyond their means, they spend more money than they earn or can afford. The cost of living was so much higher in New York that he was soon living beyond his means.
live on the breadline	People who live on the breadline have a very low income or barely enough money to survive. Due to the recent crisis, there are more people on the breadline than ever before.
live in clover	Someone who lives in clover has enough money to lead a very comfortable  life. I dream of making an enormous amount of money and living in clover for the rest of my life!
live from hand to mouth	If you live from hand to mouth, you don't have any money to save because whatever you earn is spent on food and other essentials. Most families in that area live from  hand to mouth.
live high off the hog	Someone who lives high off the hog has a lot of money and a very comfortable lifestyle. Now he's wealthy and living high off the hog.
loan shark	A loan shark is a person who lends money at extremely high interest rates to people who are unable to obtain a loan from the bank. The young immigrant was beaten because he was late paying back money to a loan shark.

look like a million dollars	If you look (or feel) like a million dollars, you look/feel extremely good. With a tan and a new hairstyle she looked a million dollars!
lose your shirt	If you lose your shirt, you lose all your money or possessions, especially as a result of speculation or gambling. He lost his shirt when the bank want bankrupt.
make ends meet	If you find it difficult to pay for your everyday needs because you have very little money, it is hard for you to make ends meet. Anne's salary is so low that she finds hard to make ends meet.
make a killing	If you say that someone has made a killing you mean that they have had great financial success. He made a killing on the stock market.
make a mint	If someone makes a mint, they make a large amount of money. They made a mint selling hamburgers outside the football stadium.
made of money	A person who is made of money is very rich and can buy whatever they want. Hey! I can't afford that much. I'm not made of money!
money to burn	People who have money to burn have so much money that they can spend it on anything they want. A leather jacket is no problem for Sarah. She's got money to burn!
money burns a hole in your pocket	To say that money burns a hole in somebody's pocket means that they are eager to spend it quickly or extravagantly. As soon as she's paid she goes shopping. Money burns a hole in her pocket!
money doesn't grow on trees	To say that money doesn't grow on trees means that it is not plentiful or easily obtained. Watch how you spend your money Alex. It doesn't grow on trees you know!
money for jam	A very easy way of earning money is called money for jam. All you've got to do is hand out brochures.  It's money for jam!
money for old rope	Money earned from a task that requires very little effort is called money for old rope. Getting paid for watering the garden is money for old rope!
money laundering	When people launder money, they manage to conceal the source of illegally-obtained money so that it is believed to be legitimate. Certain countries have been accused of facilitating money laundering.
money spinner	If an activity is a money spinner, it is a very successful way of making money. Washing cars was quite a money spinner when I was a student.
money talks	Money talks means that people with a lot of money have power and influence. The owner is a millionaire and he's influential - money talks!
more money than sense	If you have more money than sense, you have a lot of money which you waste by spending it in a foolish manner. He celebrated the birth of the baby by buying a sports car. He's got more money than sense!

not for love or money	If you say that you cannot or will not do something for love or money, you mean that you will not do it under any circumstances. I would not try bungee jumping for love or money!
put money where mouth is	If you put your money where your mouth is, not only do you express your interest, you give financial support to causes that you believe in. If people are really interested in helping the underprivileged, they should put their money where their mouth is.
rake in the money	If you rake in the money, you make money in large quantities. Bob's business is so successful, he's raking in the money.
rolling in money	Someone who is very wealthy or has access to great amounts of money is rolling in money. Steve has no financial problems.  His parents are rolling money.
see colour of someone's money	If you want to see the colour of somebody's money, you want to be sure that the person in question has enough money to pay you before you accept to do something. I want to see the colour of his money before shipping the goods.
throw money at	If you throw money at something, you try to solve a problem by spending money on it, without using any other methods. The refugee problem cannot be solved just by throwing money at it.
throw good money after bad	Someone who spends additional money on something that was already considered a bad investment is said to throw good money after bad. Buying a second-hand computer and then spending money to have it repaired is throwing good money after bad!
your money's worth	If you get your money's worth, you receive good value for the amount of money you spend. We bought a travel pass to use the public transport system and we really got our money's worth.
nest egg	If you have a nest egg, you have a reserve of money which you put aside for future needs. Our parents consider the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg for their old age.
out of your own pocket	If you pay for something out of your own pocket, you cover the cost with your own money. Breakfast is included but you must pay for lunch out of your own pocket.
pay over the odds	If you pay over the odds, you pay too much or you pay more for something than it is really worth. She's willing to pay over the odds for an original Kelly handbag to add to your collection.
paid peanuts	If you are paid peanuts, you have a very low salary. Jenny has a very interesting job, but she's paid peanuts.
penny drops	When a person has difficulty understanding or realizing something, and then the penny drops, they finally understand. The teasing continued for some time until the penny dropped and the boy realized it was a joke!
in for a penny, in for a pound	This expression means that once you start doing something, you might just as well do it wholeheartedly and not stop at half-measures. Joe finally accepted to be on the committee, then he accepted to be the chairman. "In for a penny, in for a pound'." he said!

penny for your thoughts	This phrase is used to ask someone what they are thinking about. You look pensive.  A penny for your thoughts.
turn up like a bad penny	If someone turns up like a bad penny, they appear at a place or event where they are not welcome or not wanted. I try to avoid Jane, but wherever I go she turns up like a bad penny!
pick up the tab	If you pick up the tab, you pay the bill or pay the cost of something. There was a celebration lunch for the team and Bill picked up the tab.
play the market	If you play the market, you buy stocks and shares in the hope of making a profit when you sell them. It's always tempting to play the market, but it's more risky at the present time.
price oneself out of the market	If you price yourself out of the market, you charge such a high price for your goods or services that nobody wants to buy them. He was so eager to make money that he priced himself out of the market.
rags to riches	If a person goes from rags to riches, they start off being very poor and become very rich and successful. By renovating old houses in the right places, he went from rags to riches.
rob Peter to pay Paul	If someone robs Peter to pay Paul, they pay one debt with money borrowed from someone else, thus creating another debt. David borrowed from a friend to pay his overdraft, a typical case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
saddled with debt	If you are saddled with debt, the amount of money that you owe is a financial burden. Be careful.  If you buy a house that is too expensive, you could be saddled with debt for many years.
scrimp and save	If you scrimp and save, you spend as little as possible over a certain period of time in order to save money. The parents scrimped and saved for years so that their children could have a college education.
set you back	The sum of money something sets you back is the amount it costs you. Changing the heating system will set us back about $5000.
on a shoestring	If you do something on a shoestring, you do it with very little money. When I was a student I lived on a shoestring.
(put) skin in the game	If you put skin in the game, you show your confidence in a company by making a considerable investment or a financial commitment. I got good news today.  Apparently a serious investor is willing to put skin in the game.
slice/share of the cake	When people feel entitled to a share of the profits or benefits, they want a (larger) slice of the cake. Since profits are higher this year, the workers feel they deserve a bigger slice of the cake.
slush fund	A slush fund is an account or fund in politics or business where money is set aside for various unofficial purposes, often unethical or even illegal. A large commission taken from the slush fund ensured the success of the negotiations.
splash out	If you splash out on something, you spend a lot of money on it. Chloe's parents really splashed out on her wedding.
it's a steal	If you find something that you want for a very low price, much lower than what it is worth, you can say 'it's a steal!'. He's selling it for $20?  At that price it's a steal!
sting someone	If you sting someone for an amount of money, you make them pay for something, usually in a deceitful manner. Not only was the lunch boring but I was stung for $25!
suit every pocket	This term refers to the amount of money you are able to spend or the price you can afford. The store offers a wide range of computers at prices to suit every pocket.
on one's uppers	Someone who is on their uppers has very little money or not enough to cover their needs. Because he was clearly on his uppers when he was hired, he was given an advance in salary.