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payment [ˈpeɪmənt] n 1. the act of paying 2. a sum of money paid 3. something given in return; punishment or reward Payment (See also BRIBERY, COST, EXTORTION, GRAFT, SOLICITATION.) cash on the barrelhead Immediate payment; money on the spot. This Americanism probably gained currency during the days when perishable items were kept in barrels to retain freshness. To purchase something, one had to put “cash on the barrelhead.” Today the phrase is used to indicate that no credit is extended. No more divorces in Holt County until there is cash on the “barrelhead,” is the edict. (Kansas City Times, April 7, 1932) foot the bill To pay or settle an account; to assume responsibility for expenses incurred by others. This expression stems from the custom of signing one’s name at the bottom, or foot of a bill as a promise of payment. Over the years, this phrase has come to describe someone who pays an entire bill himself, rather than allow or force it to be divided among the parties involved. The annual bill we foot is, after all, small compared with that of France. (Leeds Mercury, July 18, 1891) the ghost walks Salaries will be paid; there is money in the treasury; it’s payday. This expression, inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet, has two possible explanations, one of which cites Horatio’s asking the ghost (of Hamlet’s father) if it walks because: Thou hast uphoarded in thy life Extorted treasure in the womb of earth. (I, i) A more plausible, and certainly more colorful, theory tells of a 19th-century British theater company that threatened to strike because their salaries had not been paid for several weeks. The ghost was played by the leader of the company, a highly acclaimed actor. During a performance, the ghost, in answer to Hamlet’s exclamation, “Perchance ‘twill walk again,” shouted from the wings, “No, I’m damned if the ghost walks any more until our salaries are paid!” Their salaries were paid and the performance continued. From then on, the actors met every payday to determine whether the ghost would walk, i.e., whether they would be paid. This expression gave rise to ghost, theatrical slang for a paymaster or treasurer of a theater or theater company. go on tick To buy an item on credit; to be indebted for what one purchases; also, get on tick. In this expression, tick is a shortening of ticket, where ticket carries its obsolete meaning of a written note acknowledging debt. Although the phrase never attained great popularity in the United States, it has been a commonplace expression in Great Britain for centuries. A poor wretch that goes on tick for the paper he writes his lampoons on. (William Wycherley, Love in a Wood, 1672) lay it on the line See RISK. the never-never plan Installment buying, buying on credit; the layaway plan. This British colloquialism for their own hire-purchase is usually abbreviated to the slang never-never. It appeared in print as early as the 1920s, and continues in common usage. They’ve still not paid off their mortgage, you know, and I wouldn’t mind betting that Rover of theirs is on the never-never. (J. Wilson, Truth or Dare, 1973) nickel and dime to death To drain a person of his money bit by bit; to eat away at one’s monetary resources a little at a time; to exhaust one’s finances by an accumulation of small expenses. This U. S. colloquial expression has become common in recent years, probably because of continued inflation and “built-in obsolescence.” It might appear in a context such as: “It’s not the initial outlay or major maintenance that makes automobile ownership expensive, but they nickel and dime you to death with piddling repairs due to their own shoddy workmanship.” on the cuff On credit; on a special payment plan; on tick. Although the origin of this expression is obscure, a plausible derivation is that, at one time, storekeepers and bartenders kept track of debts by making marks on their shirt cuffs, which, till the 1920s, were available in Celluloid and, like collars, were not sewn to the shirt. Written on in pencil, they could easily be wiped clean. The phrase is used frequently today. Money was not important at all. All business was transacted on the cuff. (B. Macdonald, Egg and I 1945) on the nail On the spot, at once, immediately, right away or now; used in reference to money payments. Although the origin of this expression is obscure, it may be related to the French phrase sur l’ongle ‘exactly, precisely’ (literally, ‘on the nail’). The expression appeared in Maria Edgeworth’s Popular Tales in 1804: The bonnet’s all I want, which I’ll pay for on the nail. No longer in common use, this phrase dates from the late 16th century. on the nod On credit, on the cuff, with no money down. This expression, in use since the late 19th century, is said to have come from the practice of bidders at auctions, who signify their acceptance of a stated price with a nod of the head, on the understanding that the formalities of paying would be taken care of later. In any case, this gesture has long been used to show assent or agreement when entering into a bargain. Drunks with determined minds to get bacon, bread, cheese, on the nod. (The Bulletin [Sydney], July, 1934) ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
payment noun 1. remittance, advance, deposit, premium, portion, instalment a deposit of £50, followed by three monthly payments of £15 2. settlement, paying, discharge, outlay, remittance, defrayal He sought payment of a sum which he claimed was owed to him. 3. wages, fee, reward, hire, remuneration It is reasonable to expect proper payment for this work. Translations payment [ˈpeɪmənt] A. N 1. [of salary, debt, invoice] → pago m; (for services) → remuneración f payment of this invoice is now due → ya hay que hacer efectivo el pago de esta factura I don't expect payment for my help → no espero que me paguen por mi ayuda → no espero remuneración por mi ayuda as payment for your help → como pago por tu ayuda in payment for/of → en pago por/de to make a payment → efectuar un pago to make a payment into one's account → hacer un depósito or (Sp) un ingreso en cuenta on payment of £5 → mediante pago de cinco libras, pagando cinco libras to present sth for payment → presentar algo para el cobro see also advance D see also kind B2 see also maintenance B 2. (= instalment) → plazo m ten monthly payments of £50 → diez plazos mensuales or diez mensualidades de 50 libras to fall behind with one's/the payments → atrasarse en los pagos to keep up one's/the payments → mantenerse al día con los pagos 3. (fig) (= reward) → recompensa f, retribución f a stream of abuse was the only payment he received → la única recompensa or retribución que recibió fue una sarta de insultos payment [ˈpeɪmənt] n [money, sum] → paiement m to demand payment for sth → exiger d'être payé(e) pour qch Players now demand payment for interviews → Désormais, les joueurs exigent d'être payés pour les interviews. in payment for sth → en règlement de qch to make a payment → effectuer un paiement payment by instalments → paiement par versements échelonnés monthly payment → mensualité f deferred payment → paiement m différé [bill] → règlement m [deposit, cheque] → versement m (= instalment) → versement m to keep up the payments on sth → continuer à rembourser qch on payment of £5 → pour 5 livres advance payment modif [method, option, system, plan] → de paiement payment card n → carte f de paiement payment holiday n → remboursements mpl différés payment n (= paying) (of person) → Bezahlung f, → Entlohnung f; (of bill, instalment etc) → Bezahlung f, → Begleichung f; (of debt, mortgage) → Abtragung f, → Rückzahlung f; (of interest, bank charge etc) → Zahlung f; (= sum paid) → Zahlung f; (fig: = reward) → Belohnung f; three monthly payments → drei Monatsraten; in payment of a debt/bill → in Begleichung einer Schuld/Rechnung; as or in payment for goods/his services → als Bezahlung für or von Waren/für seine Dienste; to accept something as or in payment (for …) → etw in Begleichung/als Bezahlung (für …) annehmen; on payment of → bei Begleichung/Bezahlung von; without payment (= free) → umsonst; to make a payment → eine Zahlung leisten; to make a payment on something → eine Rate für etw zahlen; to present something for payment → etw zur Zahlung vorlegen; to stop payments → die Zahlungen pl → einstellen; to stop payment of a cheque (Brit) or check (US) → einen Scheck sperren payment [ˈpeɪmənt] n (gen) → pagamento; (of debt, account, interest) → saldo, pagamento (fig) (reward) → ricompensa advance payment (part sum) → anticipo, acconto (total sum) → pagamento anticipato deferred payment, payment by instalments → pagamento dilazionato or a rate payment in full → (pagamento a) saldo payment on account → acconto payment by results → premio di produzione in payment of (sum owed) → come saldo di in payment for, as payment for (goods) → come pagamento di (help, efforts, kindness) → in cambio di, come ricompensa per on payment of £5 → dietro pagamento di 5 sterline Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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