mon·ey (m n  )n. pl. mon·eys or mon·ies Idioms: 1. A medium that can be exchanged for goods and services and is used as a measure of their values on the market, including among its forms a commodity such as gold, an officially issued coin or note, or a deposit in a checking account or other readily liquefiable account. 2. The official currency, coins, and negotiable paper notes issued by a government. 3. Assets and property considered in terms of monetary value; wealth. 4. a. Pecuniary profit or loss: He made money on the sale of his properties. b. One's salary; pay: It was a terrible job, but the money was good. 5. An amount of cash or credit: raised the money for the new playground. 6. Sums of money, especially of a specified nature. Often used in the plural: state tax moneys; monies set aside for research and development. 7. A wealthy person, family, or group: to come from old money; to marry into money. for (one's) money According to one's opinion, choice, or preference: For my money, it's not worth the trouble. in the money 1. Slang Rich; affluent. 2. Sports & Games Taking first, second, or third place in a contest on which a bet has been placed, such as a horserace. on the money Exact; precise. put money on Sports & Games To place a bet on. put (one's) money where (one's) mouth is Slang To live up to one's words; act according to one's own advice. [Middle English moneie, from Old French, from Latin mon ta, mint, coinage, from Monta, epithet of Juno, temple of Juno of Rome where money was coined.] |
money [ˈmʌnɪ]
Money
2. any theory of wealth as measured in money. — chrematistic, adj.
2. the use of only one metal for coinage. — monometallist, n.
2. a mania characterized by delusions of wealth.
Money
- Ate up money like Crackerjacks —Robert Campbell
- Bargain like a gipsy, but pay like a gentleman —Hungarian proverb
- (There ain’t a chance of putting the bee on me … .I’m) flat [broke] as a ballroom floor —H. C. Witwer
- Getting money is like digging with a needle; spending it is like water soaking into sand —Proverb
- Gold, like the sun, which melts wax but hardens clay, expands great souls —Antoine Rivarol
- An instinct like a water diviner’s where money’s concerned —John Braine
- Loses money the way a … balloon loses air —Martin Cruz Smith
In Smith’s novel, Stallion Gate, a character is likening a great club’s money loss to a beautiful balloon’s air loss.
- Making money … is, in fact, almost as easy as losing it. Almost but not quite —H. L. Mencken
- A man without money is like a bird without wings; if he soars he falls to the ground and dies —Roumanian proverb
- He that is without money is like a bird without wings —Thomas Fuller
- A man without money is like a ship without sails —Dutch proverb
- Money is a bottomless sea, in which honor, conscience and truth may be drowned —Ivan Kozloff
- Money is a muscle in our society like that of a leg or arm of a man with a shovel, and both muscles must have a wage —Janet Flanner
- Money is in some respects like fire; it is a very excellent servant —P. T. Barnum
- Money is like an arm or a leg, use it or lose it —Henry Ford, New York Times, November 8, 1931
- Money is like an eel in the hand —Welsh proverb
- Money is like a sixth sense, and you can’t make use of the other five without it —W. Somerset Maugham, New York Times Magazine, October 18, 1958
- Public money is like holy water: every one helps himself to it —Italian proverb
- Money is like promises, easier made than kept —Josh Billings
In Billing’s phonetic dialect: “Munny … easier maid than kept.”
- Money is like the reputation for ability, more easily made than kept —Samuel Butler
- Money, like a boot, when it’s tight is extremely trying —Punch, 1864
- Money is like muck, not good except it be spread —Francis Bacon
Variations include: “Money is like dung;” “Riches are like muck, which stink in a heap, but spread abroad, make the earth fruitful;” and “Money like manure does no good till it is spread.” Two contemporary figures who have been widely quoted for perversions of the above are Clint Murchison, Jr. and J. Paul Getty. The first quoting his father’s advice that, “Money is like manure. If you spread it around, it does a lot of good. But if you pile it up in one place, it stinks like hell;” the latter with “Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells.”
- Money, like vodka, makes a man eccentric —Anton Chekhov
- Money’s as cold and neutral as the universe —Hortense Calisher
- Money slips from his fingers like a watermelon seed, travels without legs, and flies without wings —Bartlett’s Dictionary of Americanisms
- Money … was exactly like sex, you thought of nothing else if you didn’t have it and thought of other things if you did —James Baldwin
- Serious money is like cancer, it breeds itself —A. Alvarez
- Spending money like a pusher —M. S. Craig
- Spent her money like a spoiled empress —Marjory Stoneman Douglas
- They talk about it [money] as if it were something you got pink gums from —Ogden Nash
Money
axle grease Australian slang for money, which greases the wheels of life, so to speak, helping things to run along more smoothly.
chicken feed Small change; a paltry or inconsequential amount of money. This American slang expression, which dates from 1836, is an allusion to the scraps and seeds fed to chickens.
fast buck Money acquired quickly and effortlessly, usually through illegal or unscrupulous methods. In this expression, buck carries the American slang meaning of dollar, making the origin of the term self-evident.
Trying to hustle me a fast buck. (A. Kober, New Yorker, January, 1949)
filthy lucre Money; money or other material goods acquired through unethical or dishonorable means, dirty money. This expression was first used in an epistle by St. Paul:
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers … who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. (Titus 1:10-11)
a king’s ransom A very large sum of money. This expression, perhaps familiarized by the hefty sum demanded for the release of the kidnapped King Richard the Lion-Hearted, maintains frequent usage.
I couldn’t look upon the babby’s face for a king’s ransom. (Mrs. Anna Hall, Sketches of Irish Characters, 1829)
loaves and fishes Monetary fringe benefits to be derived from public or ecclesiastical office; the personal profit one stands to gain from an office or public enterprise. This use of loaves and fishes derives from John 6:26:
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Today the phrase is also sometimes heard in referring to any unanticipated, miraculous proliferation or abundance. This emphasis on abundance rather than personal gain derives from the actual description of the miracle of the loaves and fishes (John 6:11-13).
mad money Money for frivolous purchases or little luxuries; money for a bit of riotous living-it-up. Originally mad money was that carried by a woman in the event her escort made advances prompting her to leave him in the lurch and finance her own return home. It subsequently came to be applied to money used for any emergency, but at some point took the grand leap from necessity to luxury Perhaps today it might qualify as what economists call discretionary income.
monkey’s allowance A trifling amount of money; a pittance; a paltry sum. This expression is derived from the saying, “He gets a monkey’s allowance—more kicks than halfpence.” At one time, trained monkeys performed tricks and then collected money from passers-by. If the monkey performed poorly, its owner often kicked or otherwise punished the animal. Thus, the monkey’s allowance was frequently more abuse than money. By extension, a person who receives a “monkey’s allowance” is one who works diligently but receives little, if any, payment for his labor. A related expression is monkey’s money ‘something of no value.’
nest egg Money saved, particularly a reserve fund for use in emergencies or retirement; a bank account or other form of investment which regularly increases in value by virtue of interest accrued or additional deposits made. Originally, a nest egg was a natural or artificial egg which was placed in a hen’s nest to induce her to lay eggs of her own. Though the term retains this connotation, it has been extended to imply that once a person has saved a certain amount of money, he is likely to save more.
A nice little nest egg of five hundred pounds in the bank. (John Ruskin, Fors Clavigera, 1876)
pin money A small amount of money set aside for nonessential or frivolous expenditures; an allowance given to a woman by her husband. When common or straight pins were invented in the 13th century, they were expensive and relatively scarce, being sold on only one or two days a year. For this reason, many women were given a regular allowance called pin money which was to be saved until the pins were once again available for purchase. In the 14th and 15th centuries, it was not uncommon for a man to bequeath to his wife a certain amount of money to be used for buying pins. Eventually, as pins became cheaper and more plentiful, the pin money was used for trifling personal expenses, but the expression persisted.
If he gives me two hundred a year to buy pins, what do you think he’ll give me to buy fine petticoats? (Sir John Vanbrugh, The Relapse, 1696)
rubber check A bad check; a check not covered by sufficient funds. A check issued for an amount greater than the account balance is said to bounce, because it is returned to its payee.
She had bought the car and paid for it with a rubber check. (This Week Magazine, September, 1949)
a shot in the locker A reserve, usually financial; a last resource or chance. Locker is a nautical term for the compartment on board a vessel in which are stored ammunition, clothes, etc. Shot in the locker is literally stored ammunition; figuratively, it refers to a stash of money.
As long as there’s a shot in the locker, she shall want for nothing. (William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1848)
This expression is often heard in the negative not a shot in the locker, meaning no money or means of survival.
small potatoes See INSIGNIFICANCE.
sugar and honey Rhyming slang for money. This expression dates from the mid-19th century. Sugar alone is a popular slang term for money, in Britain as well as in the United States, where most people are unaware that the term is a truncated version of a rhyming slang expression.
widow’s mite See CHARITABLENESS.
| Noun | 1. |  money - the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender; "we tried to collect the money he owed us"appropriation - money set aside (as by a legislature) for a specific purpose money supply - the total stock of money in the economy; currency held by the public plus money in accounts in banks fund, monetary fund - a reserve of money set aside for some purpose medium of exchange, monetary system - anything that is generally accepted as a standard of value and a measure of wealth in a particular country or region boodle, clams, dinero, gelt, kale, lettuce, lolly, lucre, moolah, pelf, shekels, simoleons, wampum, loot, dough, bread, cabbage, sugar, scratch - informal terms for money shinplaster - paper money of little value issued on insufficient security subsidisation, subsidization - money (or other benefits) obtained as a subsidy token money - coins of regular issue whose face value is greater than their intrinsic value |
| 2. |  money - wealth reckoned in terms of money; "all his money is in real estate"wealth - property that has economic utility: a monetary value or an exchange value | |
| 3. |  money - the official currency issued by a government or national bank; "he changed his money into francs"sterling - British money; especially the pound sterling as the basic monetary unit of the UK currency - the metal or paper medium of exchange that is presently used |
money
"Money speaks sense in a language all nations understand" [Aphra Behn The Lucky Chance]
"When a fellow says, it hain't the money but the principle of the thing, it's the money" [Kin Hubbard Hoss Sense and Nonsense]
"Money is our madness, our vast collective madness" [D.H. Lawrence]
"Wine maketh merry, but money answereth all things" Bible: Ecclesiastes
"Money is coined liberty" [Fyodor Dostoevsky House of the Dead]
"Money is the sinews of love, as of war" [George Farquhar Love and a Bottle]
"Better authentic mammon than a bogus god" [Louis MacNiece Autumn Journal]
"Money is like a sixth sense without which you cannot make a complete use of the other five" [W. Somerset Maugham Of Human Bondage]
"My boy ... always try to rub up against money, for if you rub up against money long enough, some of it may rub off on you" [Damon Runyon A Very Honorable Guy]
"If you can actually count your money, then you are not really a rich man" [J. Paul Getty]
"Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million" [Arnold Schwarzenegger]
"Money doesn't talk, it swears" [Bob Dylan It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)]
"Money is like muck, not good except it be spread" [Francis Bacon Of Seditions and Troubles]
"Money ... is none of the wheels of trade: it is the oil which renders the motion of the wheels more smooth and easy" [David Hume Essays: Moral and Political]
"Money couldn't buy friends but you got a better class of enemy" [Spike Milligan Puckoon]
"Bad money drives out good"
"Money isn't everything"
"Money talks"
"Money is power"
"Money makes money"
"Shrouds have no pockets"
"You can't take it with you when you go"
Spanish money → dinero español
there's money in second-hand cars → los coches de segunda mano son(un)buen negocio
"money back if not satisfied" → "si no queda satisfecho le devolvemos su dinero"
to bring in money → aportar dinero
to come into money → heredar dinero
when do I get my money? → ¿cuándo me vas a pagar?
to earn good money → ganar un buen sueldo, ganar su buen dinero or dinerito, ganar sus buenos dineros or dineritos
I paid or gave good money for it → pagué un buen dinero por ello
I'd rather be paid in money → prefiero que me paguen en dinero
your money or your life! → ¡la bolsa o la vida!
to make money [person] → ganar dinero; [business] → rendir, dar dinero
he made his money by dealing in cotton → ganó el dinero que tiene comerciando con algodón
to put money into sth → invertir dinero en algo
it was money well spent → fue dinero bien empleado
bad money drives out good → el dinero malo echa fuera al bueno
money doesn't grow on trees → el dinero no cae del cielo or de los árboles
to have money to burn → estar cargado or podrido de dinero
money isn't everything → el dinero no lo es todo
it's money for jam or money for old rope (Brit) → es dinero regalado
to throw good money after bad → echar la soga tras el caldero
to be in the money → estar bien de dinero
to be made of money → ser millonario, tener un banco
for my money that's the one for my money! → ¡yo apostaría por ése!
I'd put money on it he'll be back, I'd put money on it → apuesto(lo que sea)a que volverá
my money is on Fred → yo apuesto por Fred
to put one's money where one's mouth is → predicar con el ejemplo
to spend money like water → tener un agujero en el bolsillo, ser un/una manirroto/a
to throw one's money about or around → tirar or derrochar el dinero
to throw money at a problem → intentar solucionar un problema a base de dinero
to get one's money's worth → sacar partido a su dinero
he certainly gives the audience its money's worth → la verdad es que con él el público sale contento
money can't buy happiness → el dinero no da or trae la felicidad
money makes money → dinero llama dinero
money makes the world go round → el dinero mueve montañas
(the love of) money is the root of all evil → el dinero es la raíz de todos los males
money talks → poderoso caballero es don Dinero
see also burn 1 B1
see also coin B
see also colour A1
see also even A3
see also hand A1, A12
see also licence A2.1
see also marry A1
see also ready D
money back guarantee N → garantía f de devolución(del dinero)
money belt N → riñonera f
money economy N → economía f monetaria
money market N → bolsa f or mercado m de valores, mercado m monetario
money matters NPL → asuntos mpl financieros
money order N (US) → giro m postal
money prize N → premio m en metálico
money spider N → araña f de la suerte
the money supply N → la oferta or masa monetaria, el volumen de moneda
Do you have any money on you? → Tu as de l'argent sur toi?
I've got no money left → Je n'ai plus d'argent
to change money → changer de l'argent
I need to change some money → J'ai besoin de changer de l'argent.
to spend money on sth → dépenser de l'argent sur qch
I spent all my money on the house → J'ai dépensé tout mon argent sur la maison.
to make money [person] → faire de l'argent; [business] → rapporter de l'argent
He made good money when he worked → Il faisait pas mal d'argent lorsqu'il travaillait.
to be in the money (= have plenty of money) → se faire beaucoup d'argent
to have money to burn → avoir de l'argent à perdre
to get one's money's worth (= get good value) → en avoir pour son argent
The fans always get their money's worth → Les fans en ont toujours pour leur argent
to throw good money after bad (= waste yet more money) → gaspiller encore plus d'argent
money talks → l'argent a le dernier mot
to put one's money where one's mouth is (= spend money instead of just talking) → joindre le geste à la parole en mettant la main au portefeuille
to throw money at a problem (= try to solve it by spending money) → dilapider de l'argent pour régler un problème
money:
money:
paper money → banconote fpl
Italian money → moneta italiana
there's money in it → c'è da farci i soldi
I've got no money left → non ho più neanche una lira
to make money (person) → fare (i) soldi (business) → rendere
we didn't make any money on that deal → in quell'affare non ci abbiamo guadagnato niente
that's the one for my money! (fam) → è quello su cui sono pronto a scommettere!
it's money for jam or old rope (fam) → son soldi guadagnati senza fatica
to be in the money → nuotare nell'oro, essere pieno/a di soldi
to get one's money's worth → spender bene i propri soldi
to earn good money → guadagnare bene
money doesn't grow on trees! → non me li tirano mica dietro i soldi!
I'm not made of money → non nuoto nell'oro
your money or your life! → o la borsa o la vita!
danger money (Brit) → indennità f inv di rischio
money → مال peníze penge Geld χρήμα dinero raha argent novac denaro 金銭 돈 geld penger pieniądze dinheiro деньги pengar เงิน para tiền 钱
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