Idioms and Expressions With Money

The following idioms and expressions with the noun 'money' are less formal than collocations used with 'money'. However, they are common in everyday conversation. Each idiom or expression has a definition and two example sentences to help understanding of these common idiomatic expressions with 'money.'

Color of Someone's Money

Definition: the amount of money someone has available

• Show me the color of your money and then we can talk.
• If we knew the color of the company's money we could make a better bid on the deal.

Easy Money

Definition: money that can be earned with little effort

• Some people think that playing stocks is easy money.
• Unfortunately, there are few jobs are truly easy money.

Front Money

Definition: money paid in advance of receiving something

• I'll need to put up $100,000 front money to get in on the deal.
• Always be suspicious of companies that ask for front money.

Heavy Money

Definition: a lot of money

• Tom will bring heavy money into the company if he agrees to invest.
• They have heavy money. I'm sure they'll buy the house.

Hush Money

Definition: money paid to someone so that they don't provide information

• Many people are paid hush money to not testify in court. It's illegal, but it happens.
• The gang tried to pay the man off with hush money, but he was having none of it.

Mad Money

Definition: money used to have fun, money to waste

• We've put away a few thousand dollars in mad money for our next vacation.
• Don't go to Las Vegas without some mad money.

Money From Home

Definition: easily gained money

• Peter thinks investing in stocks is money from home.
• She's looking for a job that's money from home. Good luck!

Money Grubber

Definition: someone who does not like to spend money, a stingy person

• She'll never give you money for your idea. She's a money grubber.
• Money grubbers can't take it with them. I have no idea why they take it so seriously. I say easy come, easy go.

Money Talks

Definition: money has influence in a situation

• Of course, they let the big box store build in town. Never forget: Money talks.
• Just remember money talks. If they really want you for the position, they'll meet your salary demands.

On the Money

Definition: correct, exact

• I'd say you are on the money about that situation.
• His guess that the company would succeed was on the money.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Definition: let's have a bet about something

• Come on, if you think that is true, put your money where your mouth is! I'll bet you 100 to 1 that it isn't true.
• She put her money where her mouth was and made a fortune.

Smart Money

Definition: the best option, money of smart people investing in something

• The smart money is on Congress changing the law.
• He thinks the smart money is going to invest in renewable energy.

Soft Money

Definition: money which can be earned without much effort

• Take the job for a few months. It's soft money.
• Jane thinks the position is soft money.

Spending Money

Definition: money to spend to have fun, purchases unnecessary items

• It's important to have at least a little spending money each month.
• They don't have much spending money, so they like to stay home rather than go on vacation.

Throw Money at Something

Definition: waste money on a situation

• Throwing money at the situation isn't going to make it better.
• Some governments feel that throwing money at a program always helps.

Once you've learned these expressions, it's a good idea to also learn important phrasal verbs about money. Finally, use the business English resources on the site to continue improving your English as it relates to the business world.