Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (13 page)
throw money away
to waste money or to spend it on something worthless; typically, a possessive pronoun separates
throw
and
money
♦
That car is a piece of junk. Don’t
throw your money away
on it.
♦
I don’t mind investing in a small risk, but I don’t want to
throw my money away.
throw money down the drain
to spend money and get nothing in return ♦
If you don’t pass your college classes, we’re just
throwing money down the drain. ♦
You’re just
throwing money down the drain
on that car. It constantly breaks down.
spend it as fast as one can make it
spend money as fast as one can make it; spend money very quickly ♦
We have so many bills, we’re
spending it as fast as we can make it. ♦
He
spends it as fast as he can make it
on CDs and other things.
spend like there is (
or
was) no tomorrow
spending a lot without thinking about the future ♦
On our vacation, we
spent like there was no tomorrow.
Now we have to pay for it!
♦
They were
spending like there was no tomorrow
until his company failed.
Penny Pinchers
People who have money but are
tight with their money
or are
cheap
(rarely spend or share their money) might be called one of these uncomplimentary names:
Scrooge
♦
Mom, you’re a
Scrooge!
You never let us buy candy.
tightwad
♦
What a
tightwad
. He only left a dollar tip for the meal!
penny pincher
♦
Dad was a
penny pincher,
but he saved a lot.
Note:
This expression is not always uncomplimentary; it can simply mean someone who is careful with money.
skinflint
(implies someone who might be dishonest in money dealings) ♦
We don’t do business with him anymore. He’s a
skinflint.
Making Every Penny Count
Are you
watching your money?
If so, you’re spending carefully, wisely; you’re not buying unnecessary extras. People
watch their money
when their income is low, when they have big bills or unexpected expenses, or when they’re saving for something. One way to
watch one’s money
is to
make every penny count,
in other words, to never pay the highest price for something, to look for bargains and sales, and to not waste money.
Pinching pennies
is another idiom that describes this cautious spending.
Pinching pennies
can be smart and necessary.
Big Spenders
People who spend their money freely, sometimes to show off their wealth, might be called one of these names:
big spender
a person who spends a lot, typically on luxury goods or to impress other people ♦
He’s a
big spender;
he’s always throwing lavish parties.
♦
I know you like to treat your friends, but you don’t need to be a
big spender.
sugar daddy
or
big daddy
one who spends a lot of money supporting and buying gifts for someone, often a love interest ♦
He was a big
sugar daddy
and bought her anything she wanted.
♦
When we are tired from working all day, we start joking about finding a
big daddy.
Losing Money and Going Broke
There are plenty of ways to
lose money
(or see one’s savings or investments disappear). One can make bad investments or bad financial decisions, experience loss during a weak economy, and so on. Here are a couple idioms for losing money:
eat it (v)
♦
He really
ate it
on that bad business deal.
lose one’s shirt (v)
♦
We
lost our shirts
in the stock market.
Being Caught Short
When people don’t have enough money to pay their expenses, or have very little money left, one of the following idioms can describe the situation:
strapped
♦
With six kids to support they always feel
strapped
for money.
caught short
♦
If you spend all your money before payday, you’ll be
caught short.
short on money
♦
He was careless with his money, so when it was time to pay his bills he was often
short on money.
down to one’s last cent
♦
They were
down to their last cent
when he finally found a job.
Going Broke
When someone’s money is gone, one of the following idioms can describe the situation:
go broke:
to lose or spend all one’s money ♦
They were careless with their money and they eventually
went broke.
broke:
to have no money ♦
He’s always
broke.
Where does all his money go?
tapped:
to have no available cash, may be a temporary situation ♦
I’m
tapped.
Could I borrow a few bucks until next week?
run out of money:
to use up or spend all available money ♦
When she
ran out of money,
she called her parents for help.
out of money:
to have no available money, may be temporary ♦
Well, no more shopping for me today; I’m
out of money.
have a cash-flow problem:
to have no available cash even though one has assets or money invested. This can be a polite way to refer to financial problems. ♦
I’m
having a
little
cash-flow problem.
So, could I get an extension on this bill?
Grammar Note:
When
go broke
and
run out of money
are used in the present continuous form (
going broke, running out of money
) it means that one’s money is almost gone; that it’s going fast.
Falling on Hard Times
The following idioms imply that one is experiencing financial hardship because of bad luck or other misfortune.
down and out
to be destitute and have no money ♦
Last time I saw him, he was really
down and out. ♦
The homeless shelter tries to help people who are
down and out.
down on one’s luck
to be experiencing bad luck that causes financial hardship or destitution; may be temporary ♦
You helped me when I was
down on my luck,
and now I want to help you.
♦
Be kind to people who are
down on their luck.
Someday, it could be you.
fall on hard times
to be experiencing difficult times financially and, usually, in other areas of life as well ♦
The bad economy has caused many people to
fall on hard times. ♦
When we
fell on hard times,
some family members helped us out.
be hard up
to have financial hardship; to be poor ♦
If you have a marketable skill, you’ll never
be hard up. ♦
During the Depression, almost everyone was
hard up.
Owing Money and Paying Debts
No one (whether an individual or a business) wants to be
in the red.
That means owing more money than one has.
In the red
refers to the red ink used for showing a negative balance — not enough money — in account books. By contrast, having more money than one owes is called being
in the black,
which refers to the black ink used for showing a positive balance.
The following idioms are commonly used when talking about owing money, or being
in the red
:
in debt
to owe money; to have unpaid debts; also put as
deep in debt
if a lot of money is owed. Often expressed as
get into debt
or
stay in debt.
♦
Studies show that over 50 percent of the American population is
in debt. ♦
After completing graduate school, many people are
deep in debt.
in the hole
to owe money or have unpaid bills; to have a financial loss of a specific amount ♦
He’s so far
in the hole
right now that he hasn’t paid his rent for a few months.
♦
I paid your share of the utilities, so you’re
in the hole
to me for $30.
Asking for a Loan
If you are
a little short of cash
(need some money), you might do what one clever four-year-old suggested, “Go to the bank and get some more!” But when that’s not possible, you may need to
take out a loan
(borrow money). At a bank, you can ask to
take out a loan, secure a loan,
or simply to
borrow money.
For a short-term loan from friends or family, the following expressions are commonly used:
foot someone a loan
to loan someone money ♦
Could you
foot me a loan
until next week?
cover someone
pay for someone else, sometimes without expecting to be paid back ♦
I’ve just spent my last dollar. Would you
cover me?
I’ll pay you back tomorrow.
♦
He often wants me to
cover him,
but he rarely pays me back.
tide one over
to get a loan or monies to help pay expenses until one has more money; also put as
carry one over
♦
She needs something to
tide her over
until next month, so I loaned her a little money.
♦
Thanks for the loan. That will
carry me over
for awhile.
[See
mooch off
and
sponge off
in Chapter 11.]
The High Cost of Living
The cost of living
— the total expense of maintaining everyday life — is almost never referred to as the low cost of living; people usually talk about the
high
cost of living. Individual costs for housing, food, utilities, insurance, medical care, transportation, and so on are one’s
living expenses.
Though the cost of things seems always
on the rise
(increasing), sometimes you can still
get a deal
(find a bargain or good price).
Costing a Fortune
The following expressions are often used to describe something that is very expensive or high priced:
cost a fortune
sometimes used when one can’t afford the expense ♦
He wanted to go to private school, but it
costs a fortune.
cost a pretty penny
sometimes this idiom refers to money you did not intend to spend, such as on a home repair or traffic citation; also, you might use this idiom when trying to persuade someone not to spend money ♦
That speeding ticket is going to
cost
him
a pretty penny. ♦
Buying that new car will
cost
you
a pretty penny.
If I were you, I’d keep the car you have.
cost an arm and a leg
implies that one might have to sacrifice something else to pay the expense ♦ It costs an arm and a leg
to maintain a sailboat.
pay through the nose
often refers to the expense of a necessity or financial obligation ♦
We had to
pay through the nose
for this insurance policy.
Getting a Raw Deal
When people feel that they have been cheated by having to pay too high a price or by paying too much for poor quality, they might say
I got a raw deal!
The following expressions are also often used to describe this situation:
It’s highway robbery!
♦
You paid $2 for that head of lettuce?!
That’s highway robbery!
It’s a rip off!
♦
That movie was
a rip off;
it was so boring.
Note:
The verb form,
to rip someone off,
means to steal from or cheat someone.
Getting a Real Deal
When people buy something at a tremendous saving, they might say
I got a real deal.
The following expressions are also often used to describe something that is surprisingly inexpensive or on sale at a huge discount:
It’s a steal
♦
Look at the sale price on this bike.
It’s a steal.
I got it for a song
♦
At the thrift shop you can get things
for a song.
I got it for peanuts
♦
You can get books and CDs
for peanuts
over the Internet
I paid next to nothing
(also put as
it costs next to nothing
) ♦
We paid
next to nothing
to stay in the youth hostel.
♦
This table that I got at a garage sale
costs next to nothing.
Note:
The word
practically
can be used instead of
next to
, as in: “You should join the union.
It costs practically nothing
for a lot of benefits.”
They’re practically giving it away
♦
The camera shop is going out of business, and
they’re practically giving stuff away.
Grammar Note:
Practically
is unnecessary, but is typically part of this idiom.