mad money
Americannoun
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a small sum of money carried or kept in reserve for minor expenses, emergencies, or impulse purchases.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of mad money
First recorded in 1915–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“No, I can do both. I can work at the store and be an architect. I’d make mad money that way,” he said.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2020
Lucky for them, they have a little mad money.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2019
The founder of DreamWorks SKG has also given mad money to New York City’s Museum of Modern Art.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2017
The gift was mad money, so let her go mad.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2012
Then he rubbed his fingers together, meaning planting stuff cost mad money.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
