IELTS Idioms for Money
1) cost an arm and a leg
Meaning- If something costs an arm and a leg it costs a lot of money.
Example- It cost us an arm and a leg to get here. But it has been worth every penny and more.
Example- Many restaurants were charging an arm and a leg for poor quality food.
2) down the drain
Meaning- If money, work, or time has gone down the drain it has been lost or wasted.
Example- Over the years, the government has poured billions of dollars down the drain supporting its national airlines and other firms.
Example- You have ruined everything - my perfect plans, my great organization. All those years of work are down the drain.
3) feel the pinch
Meaning- If a person or organization feels the pinch they do not have as much money as they used to have, and so they cannot buy the things they would like to buy.
Example- Poor households were still feeling the pinch and new taxes on fuel made matters even worse.
4) have deep pockets
Meaning- If a person or organization has deep pockets they have a lot of money.
Example- The company will do anything to avoid scandal - and everyone knows it has deep pockets.
Example- They needed to find investors with deep pockets. What they lacked in military power, they made up for in deep pockets.
5) in the red
Meaning- If a person or organization is in the red they owe money to someone or to another organization.
Example- Banks are desperate for you to join them - even if you're in the red.
Example- If you do go into the red, you get charged 30 pence for each transaction while you are overdrawn.
6) make ends meet
Meaning- If you find it difficult to make ends meet you find it difficult to pay for the things you need in life, because you have very little money.
Example- Many people are struggling to make ends meet because wages are failing to keep pace with rising prices.
7) on a shoestring
Meaning- If you do something on a shoestring, you do it using very little money.
Example- This theatre was always run on a shoestring.
Example- Both films were made on a shoestring budget.
8) out of pocket
Meaning- If you are out of pocket after an event or an activity, you have less money than you should have.
Example- The promoter claims he was left £36,000 out of pocket after the concert.
9) be rolling in it or be rolling in money
Meaning- If someone is rolling in it or is rolling in money, they are very rich. [INFORMAL]
Example- Don't worry about the cost - soon you'll be rolling in it. Jessica's parents are obviously rolling in money.
10) a small fortune
Meaning- A small fortune is a very large amount of money.
Example- For almost two years, Hawkins made a small fortune running a corner shop.
11) there's no such thing as a free lunch or there is no free lunch
Meaning- People say there's no such thing as a free lunch or there is no free lunch to mean you cannot expect to get things for nothing.
Example- There is no such thing as a free lunch of course, and many of the most attractive looking deals have quite large joining fees.
Example- There is no free lunch. You won't get anything you don't sweat and struggle for.
12) tighten your belt
Meaning- If you tighten your belt you make an effort to spend less money.
Example- Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt.
Example- Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt.
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