cold cash

noun

1. money immediately available.

   They will accept payment in cold cash only.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cold cash¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Idioms and Phrases

Also, hard cash. Actual currency (bills and coins); money immediately available, paid at the time of a purchase. For example, Will you lower the price if I pay in cold cash instead of using a credit card? or We have only a limited amount of hard cash—the rest is in accounts receivable. [First half of 1900s]