Money Idioms
Idioms about money, cost, value, budgeting, risk, spending, and financial decisions.
Browse money idioms
Reading the tea leaves
Trying to predict the future based on subtle signs.
Water under the bridge
Past events that are forgiven or no longer important.
Bang for your buck
Good value for the money spent.
Break the bank
Spend all of one's money or exceed budget.
Cut corners
To save time, money, or effort by skipping proper steps, often reducing quality or safety.
Ear to the ground
Be attentive to warnings and rumors.
A dime a dozen
Very common and of little value.
Between a rock and a hard place
Stuck between two negative options.
Elephant in the room
An obvious issue nobody wants to address.
Head in the clouds
Daydreaming or unrealistic.
Silver lining
A positive aspect of a negative situation.
Put your money where your mouth is
Support words with action or investment.
Cost an arm and a leg
To be extremely expensive or feel painfully costly.
Feel like a million dollars
Feel extremely well.
Get the ball rolling
Start a project or process.
Pass the buck
Shift responsibility to someone else.
Pay the piper
Face the consequences.
Pay it forward
Repay kindness by helping someone else instead of the original benefactor.
Pay through the nose
Pay a very high price.
Better late than never
Doing something after the ideal time is still better than failing to do it at all.
Pass the hat
Ask for money from a group.
White elephant
An expensive but useless possession.
Penny for your thoughts
A lighthearted invitation to share what someone is thinking.
Make ends meet
Have enough money or resources to cover necessities.
Turn the tables
Reverse a situation to gain advantage.
Crunch the numbers
Analyze data thoroughly.
A penny saved is a penny earned
Being frugal today can grow future wealth.
Every cloud has a silver lining
Find the positive in a bad situation.
Tighten your belt
Reduce spending when money is short.
Spare no expense
Spend as much as necessary to achieve a goal.
The shoe is on the other foot
A reversal of roles or fortunes.
Many hands make light work
Tasks become easier when shared.
All in the same boat
Facing the same challenge as everyone else in a group.
A wash
The outcome cancels out, leaving no gain or loss.
Lay it on the line
Speak honestly and directly.
Bet the farm
Risk everything on a single gamble.
Bone to pick
A grievance one wants to discuss.
Money doesn't grow on trees
Money and resources are limited, so they should not be wasted.
A perfect storm
A rare combination of circumstances that aggravate a situation
Bank on it
Depend on something with confidence
Change horses in midstream
Switch plans while a process is still underway
Cut to the bone
Reduce costs or resources to the minimum
Silver bullet
A simple solution to a difficult problem
Money in the bank
Something reliable or guaranteed
Penny-pinching
Extremely frugal
Ballpark figure
An approximate estimate.
You can take it to the bank
You can trust this absolutely.
Cash cow
A consistently profitable asset.
Pay your dues
Earn respect through effort or time.
You can bank on it
Trust that something will happen.
A drop in the bucket
A very small part of something much larger.
A golden opportunity
A very desirable chance that does not come often.
Bill and hold
An arrangement where goods are billed but retained by the seller.
Born with a silver spoon
Born into privilege.
Bucket list
A list of goals to achieve before dying.
Cash in your chips
Give up or stop participating.
Crystal ball
A metaphor for predicting the future.
Golden ticket
An opportunity to access something special.
Silver surf
A sudden surge of activity.
Splash the cash
Spend a lot of money extravagantly.
Stretch the budget
Make funds go further than expected.
A snowball effect
A process that grows faster as it gathers momentum.
Another day, another dollar
Routine workday that yields a paycheck.
Dress the part
Dress appropriately for a role.
Throw the baby out with the bathwater
Discard something valuable while eliminating the unwanted.
Rub salt in the wound
Make someone's hurt worse.
Cross the Ts and dot the Is
Pay close attention to every detail.
Make hay while the sun shines
Take advantage of favorable conditions.
Read the tea leaves
Predict the future from available signs.
Costs an arm and a leg
Very expensive.
Clutching at straws
Desperately trying insignificant solutions.
Daylight robbery
A blatant overcharge.