mad money

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a small sum of money carried or kept in reserve for minor expenses, emergencies, or impulse purchases.

2. a small sum of money carried by a woman on a date to enable her to reach home alone in case she and her escort quarrel and separate.

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Etymology

Origin of mad money

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

It’s fine to do a little bit of speculative trading for fun in a “mad money” account.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then he rubbed his fingers together, meaning planting stuff cost mad money.

From Literature

Mr. Cramer, the host of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” is the author of “How to Make Money in Any Market.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The Doan's specialty might not have ever become a red-carpet royalty favorite if Diane Keaton hadn’t shared one with her “Mad Money” co-star Katie Holmes sometime around 2008.

From Salon

Turns out, I was inadvertently following Cramer’s Mad Money rule No. 1: “Pigs get slaughtered.”

From Slate