smart money
noun
money invested or wagered by experienced investors or bettors.
such knowledgeable investors or bettors.
Law. punitive or exemplary damages.
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Nearby words
smart casual, smart drink, smart drug, smart dust, smart mob, smart money, smart phone, smart sanction, smart set, smart weapons, smart wool
Origin of smart money
First recorded in 1685–95
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for smart money
British Dictionary definitions for smart money
smart money
noun
- money bet or invested by experienced gamblers or investors, esp with inside information
- the gamblers or investors themselves
money paid in order to extricate oneself from an unpleasant situation or agreement, esp from military service
money paid by an employer to someone injured while working for him
US law damages awarded to a plaintiff where the wrong was aggravated by fraud, malice, etc
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for smart money
smart money
"money bet by those in the know," 1926, from smart (adj.). The same phrase earlier meant "money paid to sailors, soldiers, workers, etc., who have been disabled while on the job" (1690s), from a noun derivative of smart (v.). Also "money paid to obtain the discharge of a recruit" (1760), hence "money paid to escape some unpleasant situation" (1818). Sometimes in legal use, "damages in excess of injury done."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper