blank cheque
Meaning: freedom or permission to act as one wishes or thinks necessary.
Example: “He’s been given a blank cheque with regard to reorganizing the workforce.”
Focused Idiom Category
Money Idioms
Money idioms describe prices, wealth, poverty, spending, value, payment, profit, and financial pressure. They appear frequently in shopping conversations, business news, workplace discussions, and everyday comments about what something costs or is worth. This category contains expressions whose central meaning or established wording is genuinely financial, rather than any idiom that happens to appear in a sentence about money. Every entry gives a short explanation, a practical example, and clear topic information in one easy-to-scan section. Use the letter navigation to find a known expression quickly, or explore related business, success, and everyday categories for language used around wider economic situations. Understanding money idioms helps learners follow natural English conversations because speakers often discuss cost and value through colourful figurative phrases instead of direct financial terms.
19Relevant idioms
B
B Idioms
1 entriesC
C Idioms
1 entrieschange hands
Meaning: to be sold.
Example: “How many times has this house changed hands in the last ten years?”
D
D Idioms
2 entriesdaylight robbery
Meaning: [an instance of] the practice of blatantly or grossly overcharging.
Example: “It’s daylight robbery to charge that amount of money for a hotel room!”
dirt cheap
Meaning: extremely cheap.
Example: “They’re dirt cheap.”
E
E Idioms
1 entrieseat someone out of house and home
Meaning: to eat a lot of food; to bring someone to the point of financial ruin by eating all the food in the person’s house.
Example: “He almost eats us out of house and home.”
G
G Idioms
1 entriesget a good run for one’s money
Meaning: to receive what one deserves, expects, or wants; to be well compensated for effort, money, etc., spent.
Example: “If Bill gets a good run for his money, he will be satisfied.”
H
H Idioms
1 entrieshard cash
Meaning: cash, not cheques or credit.
Example: “I want to be paid in hard cash, and I want to be paid now!”
I
I Idioms
2 entriesill-gotten gains
Meaning: money or other possessions acquired in a dishonest or illegal fashion.
Example: “Fred cheated at cards and is now living on his ill-gotten gains.”
in arrears
Meaning: overdue; late, especially in reference to bills and money.
Example: “This bill is three months in arrears.”
M
M Idioms
3 entriesmake (both) ends meet
Meaning: to manage to live on a small amount of money.
Example: “It’s hard these days to make ends meet.”
make good money
Meaning: to earn a large amount of money.
Example: “Ann makes good money at her job.”
make it worth someone’s while
Meaning: to make something profitable enough for someone to do.
Example: “If you deliver this parcel for me, I’ll make it worth your while.”
P
P Idioms
5 entriesleg
Meaning: to cost too much.
Example: “It cost an arm and a leg, so I didn’t buy it.”
pass the hat round
Meaning: to attempt to collect money for some project.
Example: “Bob is passing the hat round to collect money to buy flowers for Ann.”
pay an arm and a leg (for something) and pay through the nose (for something)
Meaning: to pay too much money for something.
Example: “I hate to have to pay an arm and a leg for a tank of petrol.”
pay the earth
Meaning: to pay a great deal of money for something.
Example: “Bob paid the earth for that ugly old sideboard.”
pay the piper
Meaning: to provide the money for something and so have some control over how the money is spent.
Example: “The parents at a fee-paying school pay the piper and so should have a say in how the school is run.”
Q
Q Idioms
1 entriesquids in with someone
Meaning: in an advantageous or favourable position with someone.
Example: “You’ll be quids in with Jean if you can charm her mother.”
S
S Idioms
1 entriesscrimp and save
Meaning: to be very thrifty; to live on very little money, often to save up for something.
Example: “We had to scrimp and save to send the children to college.”
Helpful Answers
Frequently asked questions
What is a money idiom?
A money idiom is a fixed expression about cost, value, payment, wealth, poverty, spending, or financial outcomes.
Are money idioms used in business English?
Yes. They are common in negotiations, reports, media, sales discussions, budgeting conversations, and informal workplace communication.
Do they always mention money directly?
Not always. Some use coins, prices, banks, wealth, or value indirectly while keeping a clear financial meaning.
Can money idioms vary by country?
Yes. Expressions involving currencies or local habits may be more familiar in British, American, or other regional varieties of English.
How can I use them accurately?
Check whether the idiom refers to price, affordability, profit, value, or financial difficulty, then match it to the correct situation.
