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English idioms relating to
  MONEY  
 
 Back-of-the-envelope calculation   This expression refers to quick approximate calculation done
  informally, as on the back of an envelope.
  "I don't need the exact amount. 
  Just give me a back-of-the-envelope calculation."
 Bet your bottom dollar   If you bet your bottom dollar on something, you are absolutely
  certain of it.
  "Jack is very punctual.  You can bet your bottom dollar he'll be here
  at 9 o'clock on the dot."
 Tighten your belt.   If you need to tighten your belt, you must spend your money carefully.
  "Another bill?  I'll have to tighten my belt this month!"
 Burn your fingers   If you burn your fingers (or get your fingers burnt), you suffer financially
  as a result of foolish behaviour.
  "Jack got his fingers burnt playing on the stock market."
 A cash cow   A product or service which is a regular source of income for a company
  is called a cash cow.
   "His latest invention turned out to be a real cash cow."
 Cash in your chips   If you cash in your chips, you sell something, especially shares,
  either because you need the money or because you think the value is
  going to fall.
  "Andy cashed in his chips as soon as business started to slow down."
 Other side of the coin   When you want to mention a different or contradictory aspect of a
  situation, you refer to the other side of the coin.
  "The house is lovely and spacious, but the other side of the coin is that
  it is far from shops and schools."
 Cost an arm and a leg.   If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive!
  "The house cost us an arm and a leg, but we have no regrets."
 Go Dutch   To go Dutch with somebody means to share the cost of something,
  such as a meal or a concert.
  "Young people today tend to go Dutch when they go out together."
 Feather your nest   To say of someone that they are feathering their nest is to say that
  they are taking advantage of their position in order to obtain money
  so as to have a comfortable life.
 Feel the pinch   When someone feels the pinch, they begin to suffer from a lack of
  money.
  "With the drop in tourism, hotels and restaurants are beginning to
 feel the pinch."
 Golden handcuffs   The term golden handcuffs refers to a large sum of money or a
  generous financial arrangement granted to an executive as an incentive
  to stay in their job, or to ensure long-term cooperation after their departure.
 Golden handshake   A golden handshake is a generous sum of money given to a person
  when they leave a company or retire
  (sometimes given to encourage early retirement).
 Hard up   If you are hard up, you have very little money.
  "We were so hard up we had to sleep in the car."
 Keep your head above water.   To keep one's head above water means to try to survive
  by staying out of debt, for example a small business.
 On the house   Something which is "on the house" is offered free of charge,
  usually in a bar or restaurant.
  "The new owner offered us a drink on the house."
 Kickback   This expression refers to money paid illegally for favourable treatment.
  "The property developers were accused of giving kickbacks to the local
  authorities."
 Laugh all the way to the bank   A person who makes a lot of money easily, especially through
  someone else's stupidity, is said to laugh all the way to the bank.
  "If we don't succeed in renewing the contract, our competitors will be
  laughing all the way to the  bank"
 Licence to print money   This expression refers to an officially authorized activity which enables
  people to make a lot of money without much effort.
  "The contract to supply computers to schools was a licence to print
  money."
 Live beyond one's means   If someone lives beyond their means, they spend more money
  than they earn or can afford.
  "The cost of living was so much higher in New York that he was soon
  living beyond his means."
 To make ends meet.   To make ends meet means to have enough money to live on.
 Look/feel like a million dollars   If you look/feel like a million dollars, you look/feel extremely good.
  "With a tan and a new hairstyle, she looked like a million dollars."
 Money burns a hole in your pocket   To say that money burns a hole in somebody's pocket means that
  they are eager to spend it quickly or extravagantly. 
  "As soon as she's paid she goes shopping.  Money burns a hole in her
  pocket!"
 Money to burn   People who have money to burn have so much money that
  they can spend it on anything they want.
 Money doesn't grow on trees   To say that money doesn't grow on trees means that it is not
  plentiful or easily obtained.
  "Be careful how you spend your money David.  It doesn't grow on trees
  you know!"
 Put money where your mouth is  To put money where your mouth is means to give financial support
  to activities or causes that you believe are right.
 Throw money at something   If you throw money at something, you try to solve a problem by
  spending money on it, without using any other methods.
  "The refugee problem cannot be solved just by throwing money at it."
 Money talks   Money talks means that people with a lot of money have power
  and influence.
 More money than sense   If you have more money than sense, you have a lot of money which
  you waste by spending it in a foolish manner.
  "He celebrated the birth of the baby by buying a sports car.   He's got
  more money than sense!"
 Nest egg   If you have a nest egg, you have a reserve of money which you put aside
  for future needs.
  "Our parents consider the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg
  for their old age."
 Be paid peanuts   If you are paid peanuts, you have a very low salary.
  "Anne has a very interesting job but she's paid peanuts. 
  Her salary is very low. "
 Pick up the tab   If you pick up the tab, you pay the bill or pay the cost of something.
  "There was a celebration lunch for the group and Bill picked up the tab."
 Pretty penny   If something costs you a pretty penny, it costs you a lot of money.
  "That new car must have cost him a pretty penny!"
 Price oneself out of the market   If you price yourself out of the market, you charge such a high price
  for your goods
  or services that nobody buys them.
  "He was so eager to make money that he priced himself out of the
  market."
 From rags to riches   If you go from rags to riches, you start off being very poor and
  become very rich and successful
  "By renovating old houses in the right places, he went from rags to riches."
 Rake in the money   If you rake in the money, you make money in large quantities.
  "Bob's business is so successful, he's raking in the money."
 Rob Peter to pay Paul   If a person robs Peter to pay Paul, they pay one debt with money
  borrowed from somewhere else, thus creating another debt.
  "David borrowed money from a friend to cover his overdraft;
  a typical case of robbing Peter to pay Paul!"
 See the colour of somebody's money   If you want to see the colour of somebody's money, you want
  to make sure that the person in question has enough money to pay you
  before you accept to do something.
  "I want to see the colour of his money before shipping the goods."
 On a shoestring   If you do something on a shoestring, you do it with very little money.
  "When I was a student I lived on a shoestring."
 Splash out   If you splash out on something, you spend a lot of money on it.
  "Sarah's parents really splashed out on her wedding."
 

 

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