8 Tricky Idioms About Money with Meanings [Infographic]

Using these 8 tricky idioms about money will make your weekdays funny. You will find the examples and explanations of idioms under the infographic.

Provided by Kaplan

1. Balance the books 
determine that accounts are in balance, bring the two sides into equilibrium, settle an account by paying what is due

• The accountant says he can’t balance the books till our last check clears.

2. Bring home the bacon
earn a salary, make money for your family

• When our parents died in an accident, and my sister and I remained alone, I had to leave college and bring home the bacon.

Bring Home the Bacon [idiom]

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3. Go Dutch
share the cost of something

• When I wanted to settle the bill, she insisted on going Dutch and pay for her meal.

4. Gravy train
a source of easy money, a job that pays a lot with little work

• My brother took up a job in a beach restaurant and hoped to get on board the gravy train, but in fact he had to work more than in a factory.

5. Nest egg
savings, money kept in reserve

• Don’t worry about the job you lost. We have a little nest egg to live on until you find another.

6. Cook the books
cheat in accounting, manipulate financial records

• Nobody noticed that one of the managers was cooking the books until the company got totally bankrupt.

7. Golden handshake
a (large) sum of money paid to an employee when he/she leaves the firm

• Grandfather didn’t really want to retire too early, but he couldn’t resist the golden handshake that the company offered.

8. Cheapskate
somebody who doesn’t like to spend money

• We would need a new fridge, but my husband is such a cheapskate that I don’t think we’ll buy one before the other completely falls apart.

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