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mad money. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
mad money, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
mad money in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
mad money you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Noun
mad money (uncountable)
- (idiomatic) A sum of money, often relatively small in amount, kept in reserve to use for impulsive, frivolous purposes.
1975 November 10, “Baglets”, in Time:Ultrasuede minibags "are just the solution for waste." And for crime. Most minis hardly hold more than mad money and a comb.
- (idiomatic) A sum of money kept in reserve or to insulate oneself financially in the event of the sudden breakdown of a relationship in which one is economically dependent.
1975, George Javor, “Mad Money: A Semantic Change”, in American Speech, vol. 50, no. 1/2, p. 155:Such an expression is mad money, noted as early as 1922 by Howard J. Savage (Dialect Notes 5:148) at the end of an article on Bryn Mawr slang. Savage's definition is 'money a girl carries in case she has a row with her escort and wishes to go home alone.'
See also
References
- “mad money”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- Random House Webster's Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987–1996.