sweeten the kitty
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To raise the stakes, as in a game of poker, where the pot is called the kitty: “Before you decide which job offer to accept, perhaps we can offer you a few added fringe benefits to sweeten the kitty.”
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Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
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Words nearby sweeten the kitty
sweet corn, sweet dreams, sweeten, sweetener, sweetening, sweeten the kitty, sweet fern, sweet flag, sweet gale, sweet grass, sweet gum
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Example sentences from the Web for sweeten the kitty
Idioms and Phrases with sweeten the kitty
sweeten the kitty
Also, sweeten the pot or deal. Make something financially more attractive, as in I am unable to give you the new title but I could sweeten the kitty a little by giving you a raise. This idiom comes from card games such as poker, where it means “add money to the pool,” and uses sweeten in the sense of “make more agreeable.” [Slang; c. 1900]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.