rubber check

See synonyms for rubber check on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a check drawn on an account lacking the funds to pay it; a check that bounces.

Origin of rubber check

1
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Words Nearby rubber check

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Other Idioms and Phrases with rubber check

rubber check

A check drawn on an account without the funds to pay it, as in He's been handing out rubber checks right and left, but the police have caught up with him. The rubber alludes to the fact that, like rubber, the check “bounces,” in this case back from the bank. [Slang; c. 1920]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.