Idioms for IELTS
Lesson 12
Money
1.make ends meet
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.
- on a shoestring
If you do something on a shoestring, you do it using very little money.
INOTE I In American English, shoelaces are called shoestrings. The reference here is to the very small amount of money that is needed to buy shoelaces.
Example: This theatre was always run on a shoestring.
INOTE I You can use shoestring before a noun.
Both films were made on a shoestring budget.
3.out of pocket
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.
- be rolling in it or be rolling in money
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.
5.a small fortune
A small fortune is a very large amount of money.
Example: For almost two years, Hawkins made a small fortune running a corner shop.
- there’s no such thing as a free lunch or there is no free lunch
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.
- tighten your belt
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.
8.cost an arm and a leg
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.
I NOTE I You can use verbs such as pay, charge, and spend instead of cost.
Example: Many restaurants were charging an arm and a leg for poor quality food.
- down the drain
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.
- feel the pinch
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.
- have deep pockets
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.
Example: What they lacked in military power, they made up for in deep pockets.
- in the red
If a person or organization is in the red they owe money to someone or to another organization.
Banks are desperate for you to join them – even if you’re in the red.
I NOTE I You can also say that you go into the red when you start to owe money to the bank.
Example: If you do go into the red, you get charged 30 pence for each transaction while you are overdrawn.
I NOTE I You can also say that a person or organization gets out of the red, meaning that they stop owing money to someone.
Example: We’re slowly climbing out of the red.
I NOTE I You can use in the black to talk about being in credit.
My bank account was in the black for the first time that year.
Exercise 1
Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
- I don’t earn much so it’s not always easy to make……………………..meet.
a )pockets b ) ends c )your belt
2.That meal we had in the hotel restaurant was superb, but it cost………………..
a )an arm and a leg b )deep pockets c ) the pinch
- You should do your best not to let your account go into the……………………, or you might get fined by your bank.
a ) red b ) ends c ) black
4.They have just received a pay rise. The company they work for has………………….
a ) an arm and a leg b )to make ends meet c )deep pockets
- We’ll be travelling……………………….as the exchange rate is very bad for us just now.
a ) on a shoestring b ) out of pocket c ) in the red
- Have you seen the size of their house? They must be………………………in it.
a ) making b ) rolling c ) draining