dollar-a-year

American  

[dol-er-uh-yeer] / ˈdɒl ər əˈyɪər /

adjective

1. of or being an official or employee, especially a federal appointee, who receives a token annual salary, usually of one dollar: a

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Etymology

Origin of dollar-a-year

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Example Sentences

Gary Bandy, who died at 80 from cardiovascular problems in October 2021, transformed his family’s Burbank-based business “from a million- dollar-a-year company into a $14-million-a-year company,” said Brett Bandy, one of Gary’s 11 children.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2023

Annual dollar-a-year increases continue until all employers reach $15 an hour in 2023.

From Washington Times • Dec. 29, 2019

The "dollar-a-year men" consisted of prominent executives, bankers and manufacturers who volunteered to serve in government roles to help the war effort during WWI.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2016

Whitman joins a club of high-profile CEOs who have drawn the dollar-a-year salary, which include Apple's Steve Jobs, Yahoo Inc founder Jerry Yang and Google executives Larry Page, Eric Schmidt and Sergey Brin.

From Reuters • Sep. 29, 2011

"Because they'll make you a dollar-a-year man and we're not in this to make any stinking dollar a year," Harry Bettis said.

From Summer Snow Storm by Llewellyn