filthy lucre

American  

noun

1. money.

   to lose one's health for the sake of filthy lucre.

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filthy lucre Idioms  

1. Money; originally, money obtained dishonestly. For example, She didn't like the job but loved the filthy lucre in the form of her weekly paycheck. This term comes from the Bible (Titus 1:11), where it refers to those who teach wrongly for the sake of money. In time it came to be used loosely, and usually jokingly, for money in general, and in the mid-1900s gave rise to the jocular slang term the filthy for “money.” Although both versions may be dying out, the expression filthy rich, for “extremely wealthy,” survives.

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Etymology

Origin of filthy lucre

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

Can't wait to get their hands on filthy lucre?

From New York Times • Jan. 1, 2019

If you had talent, the worst thing you could do for your soul was allow some corporate entity to claim and corrupt it in exchange for filthy lucre.

From Salon • Jul. 19, 2018

You will, however, get your money’s worth, one way or another: whether it’s from the crime thriller or the thought-provoking sermon on filthy lucre that it throws in, at no extra charge.

From Washington Post • Dec. 19, 2017

There are still a few idealists out there cherishing the belief that writing, as art, mustn’t be contaminated by filthy lucre.

From Slate • Jan. 10, 2017

Then she tried a child’s story, which she could easily have disposed of if she had not been mercenary enough to demand filthy lucre for it.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott