A pet project 🐶🏗️
A special project or task that someone undertakes out of personal interest or passion, often in addition to their regular duties.
Money & Commerce Idioms and Phrases 💰💲
Bear market 🐻🏬
A bear market is a period of sustained price declines in the stock market or other financial assets, often accompanied by widespread pessimism.
Bleed money 🩸💰
To lose money continuously and rapidly, often to an unsustainable degree.
Costs the earth 💰🌍
This phrase describes something that is extremely expensive or requires an enormous amount of money.
Drum up business 🥁⬆️💼
To actively seek out and generate more commercial activity or customers.
Every drop counts 1️⃣💧🧮
Even the smallest amount or effort is important and can contribute significantly to a larger goal or resource.
Hand over fist 🖐️👆✊
To acquire money or make progress very rapidly and in large quantities.
Hustle and bustle 🏃🚶
The energetic, noisy activity and movement of a busy place, usually with many people.
In the hole ⬇️🕳️
To be in debt, owe money, or have a financial deficit.
Keep your head above water 🖐️👤⬆️🌊
To manage to survive or stay out of serious difficulty, especially financially, in a challenging situation.
Loan shark 💰🦈
A predatory lender who charges extremely high interest rates, often using illegal or threatening methods to collect debts.
Out of print 🚪🔗📄
A book or publication is no longer being produced or sold by its publisher.
Paper trail 📄👣
A sequence of documents or records that provides evidence of an individual's or organization's activities and transactions.
Plow something back in 🚜📦🔙🕳️
To reinvest profits, resources, or effort into the source from which they came, for future growth and benefit.
Settle up 💵🧾
To pay a debt or clear an outstanding financial balance with someone.
Shell out 🐚➡️
To spend a significant amount of money, often reluctantly or for something expensive.
Shuffle the deck 👐🃏
To rearrange people, resources, or plans in a situation to create a new dynamic or outcome.
Straighten out the finances 📏🧹💰
To organize, manage, or correct problems within one's financial situation.
Well-heeled 👍👠
Affluent or wealthy.
Window dressing 🪟🎀
Making something appear more attractive or impressive than it actually is, often to deceive or create a positive but misleading impression.
Worth every penny ⚖️☝️🪙
This phrase means that something is excellent value for its cost, and the benefit or quality fully justifies the money spent.
A gravy train 🥣🚂
An easy and profitable source of income or a situation that provides a continuous stream of unearned or effortless benefits.
A penny saved is a penny earned 🪙🐖⚖️🪙💰
Saving money is as beneficial as earning it, because avoiding unnecessary expenses directly contributes to one's financial well-being.
Bait-and-switch deception 🐛👐🎭
A fraudulent sales tactic where an advertised product or offer is used to attract customers, who are then persuaded to buy a more expensive or different item instead.
Be in the chips 🧍📥🪵
To be wealthy, financially secure, or to have a significant amount of money.
Bet on a sure thing 🎲✅📦
To invest effort or resources into something that is guaranteed to succeed.
Blue chip 🔵🪵
A blue chip refers to a company or stock that is well-established, financially sound, and generally considered a safe and reliable investment.
Boost the signal 🚀📶
To amplify a message, idea, or piece of content so that it reaches a wider audience or gains more attention.
Bubble burst 🫧📌
Bubble burst describes the sudden and significant collapse of an overinflated economic or financial market, often leading to widespread losses.
Bull market 🐂🏦
A bull market is a period in financial markets where the prices of securities, such as stocks, are generally rising or are expected to rise, leading to investor optimism.
Burn through investor cash 🔥🕳️💼💵
To spend a large amount of money, typically from investors, very quickly and often inefficiently.
Catch a falling knife 🖐️🍂🔪
To attempt to profit from a rapidly declining asset, or more broadly, to get involved in a situation that is deteriorating quickly and is likely to cause harm.
Cookie-cutter 🍪🔪
Lacking originality or individuality, usually due to being mass-produced or conforming to a standard, uninspired pattern.
Cost a pretty penny 🏷️🌸🪙
To be very expensive or to require a significant amount of money.
Cut your coat according to your cloth 🧵✂️🧥
Plan your actions or live your life based on the resources and financial means you currently possess.
Financial muscle 💵💪
The extensive monetary resources and economic power that an individual, company, or country possesses, enabling them to achieve significant objectives or influence outcomes.
Flat broke 🥞✂️
To be completely without any money whatsoever, often to the point of destitution.
Flush with cash 🌊💵
To have a large amount of money readily available or at one's disposal.
Get back to business 🚶🔙💼
To resume serious work or focused activity after an interruption or period of distraction.
Get in on the ground floor 🏃♀️➡️⬇️🏢
To become involved in a new venture, project, or trend at its earliest stage, with the potential for significant future benefit.
Golden handcuffs 🥇⛓️
Financial incentives, such as generous salaries, bonuses, or stock options, that dissuade an employee from leaving a job despite potential dissatisfaction.
He who buys what he does not need steals from himself 👨🛒🛍️🗑️🤏💰🔄
Spending money on unneeded items is a self-inflicted financial loss.
In the black 📥⬛
To be profitable, out of debt, or operating with a financial surplus.
Liquidity crunch 💵🗜️
A liquidity crunch occurs when there is a severe shortage of readily available cash or easily convertible assets in a market or for a company, making it difficult to meet short-term financial obligations.
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves 👀🖐️🪙💷👀🖐️💷
If you are careful with small amounts of money, larger sums will accumulate over time without much extra effort.
Main Street vs Wall Street 📍🚦⚔️🧱🚦
This phrase describes the conflict of interests between the everyday public, small businesses, and the general economy (Main Street) versus the powerful financial institutions, investment banks, and the stock market (Wall Street).
Money burns a hole in one's pocket 💰🔥🕳️👖
To have a strong and immediate desire to spend money as soon as it is acquired.
Pass the hat 🤲🎩
To collect money from a group of people, typically for a specific cause, person, or shared expense.
Pony up 🐎⬆️
To pay money, especially when reluctant or when it's owed.
Pump and dump ⛽🗑️
A fraudulent scheme that involves artificially inflating the price of an asset through misleading positive statements, then selling the artificially acquired stock at the higher price.
Risky business 💣💼
An activity or venture that involves a significant chance of danger, failure, or loss, often implying a degree of adventurousness or questionable ethics.
Sail close to the wind ⛵🤏🌬️
To behave in a way that is risky, on the edge of what is acceptable or legal.
Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours 💅🧍💅🧍
This phrase signifies a reciprocal agreement where one person offers a favor or assistance in expectation of receiving a favor in return.
Short squeeze 📏🤏
A short squeeze occurs when a stock's price rapidly increases, forcing investors who bet against it to buy shares to cover their positions, further driving up the price.
Short-term pain for long-term gain ⏱️🩹🌳💰
This idiom describes the strategy of enduring immediate difficulties or sacrifices to achieve greater, more beneficial outcomes in the future.
Smart money 🧠💰
Smart money refers to capital managed by experienced, professional, or institutional investors who are often perceived to have superior knowledge or insight into market trends.
Snake oil 🐍🛢️
Snake oil refers to a fraudulent or ineffective remedy, product, or idea presented as beneficial or legitimate.
Stonks 📈💰
Stonks is an intentional misspelling of 'stocks,' humorously used to describe financial gains, often those that are unexpected, undeserved, or result from illogical decisions.
Stony broke 🪨✂️
To be completely without money; utterly penniless.
Strapped for cash ⛓️💵
To have very little money and be in urgent need of more.
Talk Shop 🗣️🏬
To discuss matters related to one's profession or work, often in a social setting where it might be inappropriate or uninteresting to others.
The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer 💰⬆️💰👛⬇️👛
This phrase describes an economic phenomenon where the wealthy accumulate more assets and resources, while the less fortunate experience a decline in their financial well-being.
To go Dutch 🚶♀️🇳🇱
To go Dutch means to divide the cost of a meal, outing, or other shared expense equally among all participants.
To push the boat out 👉⛵➡️
To spend a lot of money on a celebration or special occasion, often more than one usually would.
Trading insults 🤝🗯️
To exchange offensive or critical remarks with someone in a back-and-forth manner.
Trickle-down effect 💧⬇️🌱
This economic theory posits that tax cuts or other benefits for businesses and the wealthy will stimulate the economy, with the resulting prosperity eventually benefiting everyone, including the poor.
Win-win 🏆🏆
A situation or outcome in which all parties involved achieve a beneficial result.
A mere pittance 🤏💰
An extremely small or insignificant amount of money, especially when compared to what is needed or expected.
Barely scraping by 🤏💰📉
To have just enough money or resources to survive, with very little or nothing left over.
Keep the wheels turning ⚙️🔄
To ensure that an organization or activity continues to operate smoothly and effectively.
Buyer beware 🧑⚖️👀🛒
A warning that buyers should be careful and examine goods or services carefully before purchasing them, as the seller is not responsible for defects.
Deep pockets 💰🏞️
Possessing a large amount of money, typically to spend or invest.
Prune the fat 🌳✂️💧
To remove unnecessary or inefficient parts, typically from a business or organization.
Dime a dozen 💰🔢
Extremely common and therefore of little value.
Join forces with a competitor 🤝⚔️
To collaborate or cooperate with a rival business or individual for mutual benefit.
Seed money 🌱💰
The initial funding provided to a startup business or project before it generates any revenue.
Be a steal 💰⬇️
To be something that is sold at a very low price, much less than its real value.
Cost peanuts 💰🥜
To be very cheap or inexpensive.
Out of pocket 💸👤
Referring to expenses that are paid directly by an individual rather than being reimbursed by an organization like an insurance company or employer.
Be dirt cheap 💩💰
To be extremely inexpensive or very low in price.
Niche appeal 🕳️🎯
Attraction to a specific, often small, group of people with particular interests or tastes.
On a shoestring 💰🤏
To do something with very little money.
Set the market ablaze 🔥🏛️
To cause a market or industry to become extremely exciting, successful, or popular, especially with a new product or idea.
Laissez-faire policy 🚶♀️🖐️
A policy or attitude of letting things take their own course, without interfering.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul 💸💰👤
To take money or resources from one person or source to pay a debt owed to another.
Fast follower 💨🏃♂️💡
A person or company that quickly imitates and improves upon the innovations or success of another.
Second-mover advantage 🥈🚶♂️📈
The benefit a company gains by entering a market after its competitors have already established it.
Be rolling in it 💰💰💰
To have a lot of money, far more than you need.
Get by on the cheap 🚶♀️💰
To manage to live or function with very little money.
Stretch a dollar ⏳💰
To use money very carefully to make it last as long as possible.
Let's shake on it
This phrase is used to signify agreement or the sealing of a deal, often accompanied by a handshake.
Run the numbers 🏃🧮
To perform calculations or analyze data, especially to assess a financial situation or predict an outcome.
Keeping receipts ✋🧾
Retaining proof of purchase for items bought, usually for potential returns, expenses, or warranties.
Squeeze every last drop out of something 🫙💧✅
To use or obtain as much benefit or value as possible from a situation, resource, or opportunity.
Get the most bang for your buck 💥💰
To get the best possible value or return on your investment or expenditure.
It takes money to make money 💰➡️💰
You need to invest capital in order to generate a profit.
Pennies make pounds 💰➡️💷
Small amounts of money, if saved consistently, will eventually add up to a larger sum.
Spread your risk ↔️🌱💰
To reduce the chance of losing money by investing in a variety of different assets or ventures instead of just one.
Sell someone a pup 💰🐶❌
To deceive or trick someone by selling them something of inferior quality or something that is not what it was presented as.
Laissez faire, laissez passer 🚶♀️💨🚶♂️💨
An economic and political doctrine that advocates for minimal government interference in business and trade.
Comfortably off 😌💰
Having enough money to live well, without worrying about expenses.
Go corporate 🚶🏢
To adopt the practices, values, and culture typically associated with large businesses or corporations.
Gold standard 🥇🌟
A benchmark of excellence or the highest level of quality that something can achieve.
Ambush Marketing 🕵️♂️🎯💰
A marketing strategy that involves advertising or promoting a product or service at an event without the event organizer's official approval.
Creative accounting 🎨⚖️
The manipulation of accounting rules to present a misleadingly favorable financial position.
Let's seal the deal ✉️🤝
Let's finalize an agreement or transaction.
Flood the zone 🌊🏢
To saturate an area or market with an overwhelming quantity of something, especially information or products.
Good money after bad 💰➡️❌
Continuing to spend money on something that is failing or has already failed, in the hope of recovering the initial investment which is unlikely.
Build a castle on sand 🏗️🏖️
To make plans or put effort into something that is unstable and destined to fail.
A money pit 💰🕳️
Something that is very expensive to maintain or repair and constantly requires a lot of money.
Cornerstone of the enterprise 🪞🏗️
The most essential or fundamental element upon which an entire business or organization is built and relies.
A shoestring budget 👟🧵💰
A very small amount of money available for a project or activity.
A king's ransom 👑💰💰💰
An extremely large amount of money.
Chicken feed 🐔💰🤏
A very small or insignificant amount of money.
A fortune to be made 💰📈
An opportunity exists to earn a very large amount of money.
Golden parachute 🥇🪂
A lucrative severance package given to top executives if they are terminated, especially during a merger or acquisition.
Pennies on the dollar 💰🤏🇺🇸
A tiny fraction of the original value or cost.
Money in the bank 💰🏦
A certainty or a very reliable asset.
The game was worth the candle ⚖️🕯️
The effort or trouble involved was justified by the reward or result.
The market is tapped out 🛒💨💯
All available resources or capacity within a particular market have been exhausted or utilized.
To have money to burn 💰🔥
To have so much money that you can spend it freely on unnecessary or extravagant things.
Sell ice to Eskimos 💰🧊👨👩👧👦
To be an exceptionally persuasive salesperson, capable of convincing anyone of anything.
Hefty price tag 💰🏷️⬆️
A high cost for something.
Made of money 💰🏦
Someone is very wealthy and can afford expensive things.
Making bank 💰💨
To earn a large amount of money, especially quickly or easily.
To be a small cog in a big machine ⚙️🏢
To have a minor, often unremarkable role in a large organization or system.
Set the gold standard 💰✨💯
To establish a benchmark or example of excellence against which others are judged.
Backroom deal 🚪🤫🤝
An agreement or decision made secretly, often by powerful people, without public knowledge or input.
Money no object 💰🚫⚖️
Someone has an unlimited amount of money to spend on something.
Strip away the fat ✂️🍖
To remove unnecessary or less important parts from something to make it more efficient or clear.
Give them the sack 👉💼
To dismiss someone from their job.
Pork barrel politics 🐖💰🏛️🗳️
The use of government funds for local projects that award contracts to a politician's supporters, often to gain favor or votes.
Cut a deal ✂️🤝
To successfully reach an agreement or bargain with someone, especially after negotiation.
Follow the money 🚶♀️💰
Investigate financial transactions to understand the underlying motives or uncover hidden information.
Breaking ground ✂️🌍
Beginning a new project or undertaking, especially a large one.
A nest egg 🥚💰
Money saved for the future, typically for retirement or a specific long-term goal.
A license to print money 📄💰
An easy and almost guaranteed way to make a lot of money, often with little effort or risk.
To break the bank ✂️🏦💰
To be extremely expensive or costly.
A drain on the purse strings 🚰👛
Something that causes a significant amount of money to be spent, often consistently.
Pinch pennies 🤏💰
To be very careful with money and spend as little as possible.
Chump change 🤏💰
A trivial amount of money that is not considered significant.
Lawyers' fees are through the roof ⚖️💰📈
The cost of hiring a lawyer has become extremely high.
Make it rain 💰💸
To spend large amounts of money extravagantly, often by throwing it.
Off the shelf ➡️🛒
Readily available and not requiring special production or customization.
The full monty 🎩💯
Everything that can be given or done; the whole lot.
Cold hard cash 🥶💪💰
Actual money, as opposed to credit or checks.
He is minted 💰💱
This phrase means that a person is very wealthy, usually with a lot of money.
Lives paycheck to paycheck 💰➡️💰🗓️
To have just enough money to cover living expenses until the next payday, with no savings.
Throw money away Throwing Hand + Money Bag + White Arrow
To spend or waste money carelessly on something that is not valuable or useful.
A pig in a poke 🐷🛍️❓
An item or offer that is not what it seems; a purchase made without proper inspection.
It's all about the Benjamins 💰🇺🇸
This phrase means that money, specifically large sums of it, is the primary motivation or focus.
Holler at me 🗣️📭
Contact me or get in touch.
Build up a nest egg 🏗️💰🥚
To save money over time for a future purpose, usually retirement.
Keep the wheels of commerce turning 🔑 ⚙️ 💰 ➡️
To ensure that business and trade continue to operate smoothly and efficiently.
In league with 🤝🤫
Secretly working together, especially for a dishonest or illegal purpose.
Cutthroat business ✂️🔪
A business environment that is intensely competitive and aggressive, where people will do anything to succeed.
Off the books ❌ 📚 💰
Not officially recorded or reported, especially for financial transactions, often to avoid taxes or regulations.
We're quids in 💷💰📈
We have made a profit or are in a financially advantageous situation.
No dough, no go 🚫💰➡️🚫🚶
Without money, something cannot happen or be achieved.
You've got to spend money to make money 💰➡️🧰➡️📈
In order to generate profit, an initial investment or expenditure is often required.
The pot's too rich for my blood 🍲💰🩸
This is too expensive or extravagant for my budget or taste.
There's no such thing as a free lunch 🚫💰🍔
Nothing is truly free; every action or item has a hidden cost or consequence.
Time to ink the deal ⏳✍️🤝
It is the right moment to finalize an agreement or contract.
Champagne taste, beer budget 🍾🍺
Wanting or needing expensive things but only having enough money for cheap ones.
Swimming in money 🏊💰
To have a very large amount of money, more than one needs.
Be a dime a dozen 💰🔟🚶
To be very common and easily obtained.
Cashing in on 💰➡️🤝
To profit from or exploit a situation or opportunity, often unfairly or opportunistically.
Watch every penny 👀💰
To be very careful with your money and spend as little as possible.
Take over the airwaves 🖐️📡📢
To become the most popular or dominant source of information or entertainment, especially through broadcasting.
Plenty and then some 💯➕➕
A very large or excessive amount, more than enough.
Throw money at the problem Throwing Hand emoji (Throwing) + Money Bag emoji (Money) + Woman emoji (a) + Problem emoji (problem)
To try to solve a difficult problem by spending a lot of money, often without a clear plan.
Many a mickle makes a muckle 💰🤏➡️💰💪
Small amounts of money or effort add up to a large sum or significant achievement over time.
Put your money on it 💰➡️🎯
To be very confident that something will happen or be true.
Set up shop 🎣💡
To begin a business or activity in a particular place.
Dirty hands 🖐️💰
To be guilty of wrongdoing or corruption, especially in a business or political context.
Ride on someone's coattails 🚶🤝🧥
To achieve success or advantage by being associated with a person who is already successful or famous.
Keep banker's hours 🏦🤏🕰️
To work very short hours, typically closing early.
Cast an eye over the accounts 🎣👀📊
To briefly examine or review financial records.
Prime the pump 🥇🫗💧
To do or say something to encourage a particular situation or process to develop or become more active.
The silent partner 🤫👥
A person who invests in a business but does not participate in its daily operations or management.
Empty the coffers 🪣💰
To spend all of one's money, usually on something extravagant or a significant expense.
Go through money like water 🏃💰💧
To spend money very quickly and wastefully.
A stranger to the collection plate 🚶♀️💰⛪
Someone who rarely or never donates money to a church or religious organization.
You get what you pay for 💰✅
The quality of something is usually related to how much it costs.
Off the market ❌ 🛒
No longer available for purchase or sale.
The bottom fell out of the market 👇📉
The value of something, especially stocks or commodities, suddenly and drastically decreased.
Money spinner 💰🎣
A product, service, or venture that is very profitable.
A hole in the pocket 🕳️💸
Money that is spent quickly or that disappears without the owner realizing where it went.
Climbing the greasy pole 🧗♀️💧👹
Trying to achieve a high position, especially in a career, through difficult or potentially unprincipled means.
Kingpin 👑👤
The most important person in an organization, scheme, or activity, especially one involved in criminal activities.
The crème de la crème 🥛👑
The absolute best of the best in a particular group or category.
A cash cow 💰🐄
A person, product, or business that provides a steady, large profit with little effort.
A cash grab 💰✋
An event, product, or action that is primarily designed to make money quickly and easily, often with little regard for quality or customer value.
A catch-up 🖐️🪜
A scheduled meeting or conversation designed to exchange news, update on progress, or simply reconnect after a period of separation.
A square deal ⬜🤝
A fair or honest transaction, agreement, or treatment.
Cash cow 💵🐄
A product, business, or investment that consistently generates a large profit with little effort.
Deal a good hand 🃏🤝
To give someone an advantage or a favorable situation from the start.
Dirt cheap 💩💰
Extremely inexpensive, almost without cost.