Earning Money: English Vocabulary List

to earn enough money to be able to pay for the necessities of life

"He works hard to bring home the bacon."

"As the only earner in the family she works two jobs to bring home the bacon every week."

the main source of a person or business's income

"Teaching is my bread and butter."

"Freelance writing is her bread and butter because it pays all her bills."

to manage to earn enough money to buy essential things in one's life

"He works odd jobs to keep the pot boiling."

"The single mother works two jobs to keep the pot boiling for her hungry children."

to be capable of providing for one's most essential needs

"He barely makes enough to keep body and soul together."

"During the recession he took any job he could find to keep body and soul together."

to make enough money to pay for one's basic needs

"With two jobs, he can just make ends meet."

"With three children and only one salary it is difficult for them to make ends meet every month."

to make enough money to afford the necessities of life

"A small loan kept the wolf from the door."

"The family saved every penny they earned to keep the wolf from the door during hard times."

to make a lot of money in a fast way

"He wants to coin money fast."

"She managed to coin money quickly by selling her handmade jewelry online."

to earn a large amount of money, often in a short period of time and with little effort, usually through a successful business venture, investment, etc,

"He made a killing on the stock market."

"The smart investor made a killing by buying tech stocks before they went up in value."

to earn a lot of money

"They make a mint every year."

"He was able to make a mint by investing in the right stocks at the right time."

to gain significant wealth, often by doing something that is considered useless or foolish by many

"The investors laughed all the way to the bank."

"The critics hated his movie but he is laughing all the way to the bank with the profits."

to gain money using methods that are illegal or dishonest

"He lined his own pocket secretly."

"The corrupt official was caught trying to line his own pocket with public funds."

a commercial activity that enables its participants to become rich without making much effort

"His invention is a license to print money."

"The successful mobile game became a license to print money for its developers."

a highly desirable job or position, often characterized by excellent pay, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement

"The executive landed a plum job."

"The executive landed a plum job with a huge salary and a corner office in Manhattan."

money that one can earn without making much effort

"This easy job is money for old rope."

"Babysitting for that family is money for old rope because the children sleep the whole time."

a type of ability where one can make a profit from anything that one does

"His Midas touch made every business successful."

"His Midas touch made every business successful and investors begged to fund his new ventures."

to participate in buying and selling stocks and other financial instruments in the hopes of making a profit

"He lost everything playing the market."

"My uncle plays the market and has made a lot of money buying and selling stocks quickly."

used to say that an amount of money is gained as profit in a transaction

"I had fifty in pocket today."

"After the sale, she walked away with two hundred in pocket as pure profit."

a good pension or a large salary given to certain employees in order to encourage a longer employment term

"The bonus acted as golden handcuffs."

"The bonus acted as golden handcuffs and kept him at the company even though he wanted to quit."

a financial compensation that is offered to a top executive in the event that their employment is terminated

"The CEO had a golden parachute clause."

"The CEO had a golden parachute clause and received fifty million dollars when he was fired."

a payment or package given to a worker, usually a high-ranking manager, when they leave a company

"He received a golden handshake upon retirement."

"He received a golden handshake upon retirement and used the money to buy a boat."

used of a person who is unemployed but receives regular payment or benefits from the government

"He has been on the dole for six months."

"After losing his job in the factory he had to go on the dole for six months."

to earn enough money to be able to pay for the necessities of life

"We bring home bacon."

"After losing his job, he worked tirelessly to bring home the bacon for his family."