Understanding idiomatic expressions related to pay and salary can help you sound more natural in English. Here are 20 common idioms and phrasal verbs you can use to talk about your earnings and financial situation.
1. Bring home the bacon
Meaning: Earn money
Example: He works hard to bring home the bacon.
2. Make ends meet
Meaning: Cover expenses
Example: It’s tough to make ends meet on one salary.
3. Pay through the nose
Meaning: Pay a lot
Example: We had to pay through the nose for rent.
4. Tighten one’s belt
Meaning: Spend less
Example: We need to tighten our belts this month.
5. Rolling in dough
Meaning: Very rich
Example: Since the promotion, she’s rolling in dough.
6. Nest egg
Meaning: Savings
Example: They have a nest egg for their retirement.
7. On the breadline
Meaning: Very poor
Example: After the job loss, they were on the breadline.
8. Break the bank
Meaning: Spend all money
Example: Buying that car will break the bank.
9. Rake in the money
Meaning: Earn a lot
Example: Her new business is raking in the money.
10. Bread and butter
Meaning: Main income
Example: Freelancing is his bread and butter.
11. Pay off
Meaning: Repay
Example: He worked hard to pay off his debts.
12. Get by
Meaning: Manage financially
Example: We can get by on his salary.
13. Fork out
Meaning: Pay reluctantly
Example: I had to fork out for the repairs.
14. On a shoestring
Meaning: With little money
Example: They traveled on a shoestring budget.
15. In the red
Meaning: In debt
Example: Their account is always in the red.
16. Cash in on
Meaning: Benefit financially
Example: They cashed in on the property boom.
17. Cut back
Meaning: Reduce spending
Example: We need to cut back on luxuries.
18. Save up
Meaning: Accumulate money
Example: They are saving up for a vacation.
19. Live paycheck to paycheck
Meaning: Spend all earnings
Example: Many people live paycheck to paycheck.
20. Shell out
Meaning: Pay a lot
Example: We had to shell out for the new equipment.
