英語成語園地-金錢篇

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across the board
全面地；所有人同樣地；到處。
The computer company decided to give the workers an across-the-board increase in their salary.
 
a dime a dozen
多得不稀罕，不值錢。
Used computers are a dime a dozen and have very little value.
a fool and his money are soon/easily parted
蠢人有錢留不住；傻瓜不積財 － 指愚蠢的人不加思索就花錢，換言之，若不謹慎理財，錢很快就花光光。
Frank relishes his extravagant lifestyle - but then a fool and his money are soon parted. (法蘭克喜愛奢侈的生活方式，但他的錢很快就花光了)
a/one's nest egg
積蓄，儲蓄。
I made a nice nest egg when I was working and I am now able to go to school.
a penny for your thoughts
(告訴我) 你呆呆地在想什麼。
"I will give you a penny for your thoughts," I said to my friend who was looking out of the window. 引句是一句常聽到的口語：「告訴我你在想什麼!」
at all costs
無論如何；不惜任何代價。
He plans to go to school at all costs.
at a loss
虧本出售。
We were forced to sell the computers at a big loss.
back to the drawing board
(計畫或談判失敗時) 再從頭開始。
The negotiations for the contract failed so we had to go back to the drawing board.
ball park figure/estimate
粗略數字或估計。
The contractor gave us a ball park figure for the cost of repairing the new building.
bang for the buck
(投資或花掉的金錢的) 回收
We were able to get a big bang for our buck when we advertised on the Internet.
banker's hours
短暫的上班或工作時間。
My sister's husband owns his own company and is able to work banker's hours with his large staff.
bean-counter
會計師；會計人員。
We asked the bean-counters to look over the figures in the new budget.
be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth
含著銀湯匙出生；生於富貴之家。
The student in our history class was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never worked in his life.
be caught short
錢到用時方恨少。
I was caught short and had to borrow some money from my father last week. (錢到用時方恨少，上週我不得不向我父親借了些錢來用)
bet one's bottom dollar
確信；傾囊下注或打賭。
I would bet my bottom dollar that the accounting manager will be late again today.
big cheese/gun/wheel/wig
大人物；要人；領導人。
The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but is not so important now.
boys in the backroom
幕後決策者。
The boys in the backroom told us that we must close down the factory as soon as possible.
break even
收支平衡；不盈不虧；得失相當。
Our company was able to break even after only six months of operation.
break the bank
把莊家的錢全部贏過來；使人傾家蕩產。
He broke the bank at the casino and walked away with a lot of money.
cash in one's chips
交換或出售物品來換取金錢；把籌碼兌換成現金；死，翹辮子。
I decided to cash in my chips to get some money to go back to school.
cash on the barrelhead
(在購物或交易時) 立即可付的現款。
I had to pay cash on the barrelhead for the used car.
chicken feed
無足輕重的事情；為數極微的金錢。
His son always wants to borrow money and says that it is only chicken feed but little by little it adds up to a lot of money.
close the books
停止接受訂單。
They usually close the books at the end of February every year. 
cold hard cash
現金、硬幣和鈔票。
I paid for the stereo in cold hard cash.
cook the books
(非法) 竄改帳目；做假帳。
The accountant was cooking the books for over a year before he was caught.
cost/pay the earth
價格十分昂貴；支付一大筆錢。
The watch must have cost the earth. (這支錶一定非常昂貴)
Don't pay the earth for brand names. (別花大錢購買商標)
cross one's palm with silver
付錢給某人 (尤指算命者或有好消息奉告者)。
I crossed his palm with silver, but he still stood there. (我已付錢給他，但他還站那裡)
You will find that things happen much faster in hotels if you cross the staff's palms with silver fairly often. (如果你常常給旅館員工一些小費，你會發現事情處理起來快了很多)
(a) Dutch treat
各自付帳的聚餐 (或看電影等)。我們亦可以 "to go Dutch (with someone)" 來表達相同的意思 (見下面的例句) -- 「各付各的帳」。
We went to the movie as a Dutch treat so it didn't cost me much money.
 John and I always go Dutch when we go out to restaurants.
fast buck
輕鬆快速賺得的錢 (有時指不義之財)。
The company tried to make a fast buck on the property but they actually lost a lot of money.
feel (or look) like a million dollars (or bucks)
覺得棒極了。
Although I have been sick for a few weeks I feel like a million dollars today.
flat broke
身無分文；一文不名。
I am flat broke and don't even have enough money to pay my rent.
foot the bill
付帳；承擔責任。
My sister is footing the bill for her daughter's education so she is making sure that she studies hard.
for a song
非常便宜地。
We bought the car for a song and will try and sell it for a higher price.
for love or money
為了愛情；出於喜好；不計報酬地。(通常是負面地)
I would not want to have to do that man's job for love or money.
for one's money
依某人之見，依某人看來。
For my money (= In my opinion/To my mind), you are by far the best student in the school.
give somebody a (good) run for one's money
給某人造成強大的競爭壓力；使某人棋逢對手。
I think only Carl will be able to give that candidate a run for his money in the presidential election next year. (我認為只有卡爾才能在明年的總統大選中對那位候選人造成強大壓力)
Amy was an excellent supermodel and could have given any other professional a run for their money. (艾美過去是一名非常優秀的超模，可能是其他任何專業模特兒的競爭對手)
grease/oil one's palm
買通某人；賄賂某人。
The waiter was greasing his palm at the restaurant until he was finally fired.
have money to burn
有的是錢；錢多得花不完。
My aunt has money to burn and is always travelling somewhere.
highway robbery
獅子大開口；索取高價。
The amount of money that the company is charging for its services is highway robbery.
hit the jackpot
福星高照；獲得巨大成功；贏得大筆錢；突然發大財。
We hit the jackpot at the casino and came home with a lot of money.
in someone's bad/black books; in someone's good books
失去某人的歡心；得到某人的歡心。
I'm in my dad's bad/black books because I didn't clean the bathroom yesterday. (我爸爸對我很不滿，因為我昨天沒有清洗浴室)
I washed the car this morning so I'm in Mum's good books. (我今天早上洗了車，所以媽媽對我很滿意)

 附註：Books 原指記錄呆帳 (bad debt) 的帳冊。
 
in the hole
欠錢，負債。
I think that we are going in the hole in our attempts to make our business prosper.
live from hand to mouth
做一天過一天；現賺現吃；勉強餬口。
My sister has been living from hand to mouth on her meager salary. (我妹妹一直靠著微薄的薪資，勉強餬口)
live high off the hog
過著舒適奢華的生活。
My mother and father have been living high off the hog since they won the lottery.
made of money
腰纏萬貫；很有錢。
I'll pay for the drinks, but I can't pay for everyone's meal as well. Do you think I'm made of money?
make a killing
賺大錢；大發橫財；獲取暴利。
My sister made a killing when she worked overseas in the oil industry.
make (both) ends meet
收支相抵；收支平衡。
I have been having trouble making ends meet because the rent for my apartment is too high. (由於我住的公寓租金太高，我一直難以收支平衡)
make money hand over fist
快速賺進大筆財富。
My cousin has been making money hand over fist with her business.
Money burns a hole in one's pocket
錢燒口袋漏，一有就不留；有錢就用光；有錢就亂花。
Cindy has been living from paycheck to paycheck for ages because money burns a hole in her pocket. (長期以來辛蒂一直是個月光族，因為她有錢就亂花)
Money doesn't grow on trees
(尤英) 金錢來之不易 (樹上長不出錢來)。
My mom used to say "money doesn't grow on trees" whenever I asked her to buy me something not very cheap.
Money talks
金錢萬能。
People with money usually get what they want, so they always say "money talks."
not have a red cent; without a red cent
一文不名；一貧如洗；窮到極點。英文中表示相同意思的常用成語還有：not have a bean; not have a penny to one's name; not have two halfpennies to rub together; (as) poor as a church mouse.
I am sorry, I can't lend you anything -- I haven't got a red cent.
on a dime
極小的空間。
I had to turn my car on a dime when I entered the parking lot.
on a shoestring
小本經營地；資金極少地；預算極低地。
He started his business on a shoestring but now it is very successful.
on the house
(由餐館、飲食店) 免費招待 (酒食)。
We went to the restaurant and all of the refreshments were on the house.
pass the buck
推卸責任。
The foreman is always passing the buck and will never take responsibility for anything that he does.
pay an arm and a leg for something
為....付高價。
I paid an arm and a leg for my car but I am not very happy with it.
pay dirt
有價值的發現；如獲至寶。
We hit pay dirt when we got the rights to distribute the new product.
pay through the nose
花很多錢 (買...)；(為...) 付出高昂的代價。
I paid through the nose when I had to buy gasoline in the small town. 
penny wise and pound foolish
小事聰明，大事糊塗；小處精明，大處浪費。
My friend is penny wise and pound foolish and economizes on small things but wastes all of his money on big things.
pick up the tab
付帳。
I picked up the tab for my sister and her three children at the restaurant. 
pony up
付錢；支付。
I had to pony up a lot of money to pay to get my car repaired.
put in one's two cents
發表意見。
I stood up in the meeting and put in my two cents before I was asked to sit down.
put one's money where one's mouth is
說話算數，說給錢就給錢。
If people are really interested in helping the homeless they should put their money where their mouth is. (如果人們真的有意幫助無家可歸的人，那麼他們應該說話算數，說給錢就給錢)
Congress needs to put its money where its mouth is and really support energy conservation. (國會須兌現撥款承諾，確實支持節約能源)
rake in the money
賺大錢。
We have been raking in the money at our restaurant and will soon be able to go on a long holiday.

strike it rich
致富；發橫財；突然走運。
My grandfather struck it rich searching for gold but when he died he had no money. 
take a beating
虧本；了錢。
My friend took a beating on the stock market and now he never has to work. 
the ball is in someone's court
輪到某人採取行動了。
The ball was in the union's court after the company made their final offer. 
the 64,000 dollar question; the sixty-four thousand dollar question; the $64,000 question
關鍵問題；至關重要的問題；最重要的問題。
It's a clever plan, but the sixty-four thousand dollar question is: Will it work? (那是一項巧妙的計畫，但關鍵問題是：它行得通嗎?)
That's the 64,000 dollar question. (那是個至關重要的問題)

 附註：根據 Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 線上字典，這成語源自美國 1955 至 1958 年播出的一個電視問答節目，答對問題者有獎金，而答對最後、也是最難一個問題可獲得 64,000 美元的獎金。
throw good money after bad
花錢填補無底洞。
Anyone with credit card debt can now ask the government for help; for my money, the politicians are just throwing good money after bad.
throw money at something
花錢解決問題。
The president of our company is willing to throw a lot of money at the problem in the hope of solving it.
tighten one's belt
勒緊腰帶；更節省地過日子；節省。
We decided to tighten our belt and save up some money for a holiday. (我們決定勒緊腰帶，存些錢去度假)

 
turn an honest penny
用正當手段賺錢；老老實實賺錢。
Kevin's doing odd jobs to turn an honest penny. (凱文打零工老老實實掙錢)
My father's just an ordinary businessman, trying to turn an honest penny. (我父親是個普通生意人，只想用正當手段賺錢)

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