English Money Idioms An ESL Learner's List

When I was young, I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is. - Oscar WildeWhile probably not the most important thing in life, money does, in fact, play an important role in the lives of each and every one of us. It has the power to make or break individuals, families, friendships, companies, communities and even countries. It can be earned or lost, saved or spent, taken or given. It is part of our lives and, as such, part of our vocabulary. Here are 10 English idioms that all have to do with dollars and cents:1. to be a license to print moneyWhen a business activity or business, itself, provides you with an opportunity to make a lot of money with little or no effort, you can refer to it as being a license to print money.Example: Selling ice cream across from a school is a license to print money.2. to be rolling in moneyIf you are rolling in money, you are extremely wealthy. You have much more money than you can spend.Example: Since Mr. Pennypincher married his third wife, he has been rolling in money.3. to be in the holeWhen someone is in the hole, he is in debt. In other words, he owes other people money.Example: After Frank repaid the $10.00 he owed his mother, he was no longer in the hole.4. to be in the moneyThis one belongs to the more positive idioms on this list. If you are in the money, you suddenly and, perhaps even unexpectedly, have a lot of cash or wealth.Example: If I win this Saturday's lottery, I'll be in the money.5. to come into moneyWhen someone comes into money, he has unexpectedly received some money, e.g. an inheritance.Example: After old Mrs. Moneybags passed away, the local animal shelter came into a lot of money.6. to have money to burnIf someone has money to burn, he has a lot of money and spends it carelessly on unnecessary things.Example: Last week, Alex bought himself three new mobile phones, a laptop and a tablet. It was as if he had money to burn.7. to spend money like it's going our of stylePeople who spend money like it's going out of style are spending great sums of money without any worries or cares.Example: I saw Mr. Moneybags going in and out of shops on Rodeo Drive. He was spending money like it's going out of style.8. to spend money like waterA person who spends money like water, spends a lot of it.Example: During his vacation to Las Vegas, Monty and his friends spent money like water. They came home only with the shirts on their backs.9. to throw good money after badIf you throw good money after bad, you are spending your dollars and cents on something that has either failed or is doomed to fail.Example: Some people said that Maria was throwing good money after bad when, despite six horrible months of sales, she continued to invest in advertising for her homemade mobile phone cases.10. to throw (your) money aroundWhen you throw your money around, you spend your money often and, when you do, it's on things that aren't particularly necessary.Example: You've bought new mobile phones, a new laptop and a new tablet? You've got money to throw around, haven't you, Alex?Dollars and cents may not be everything, especially in light of health and happiness, but, as you can see from the ten idioms above, there are many things that you can do with it. You can print it, come into it, burn it, spend it, and throw it. The possibilities are endless. And isn't it nice to have the words to describe it?