Idioms and Phrasal Verbs to talk about money

Hey guys!

Everybody knows the importance of learning some phrasal verbs, idioms and colloquial expressions, especially when you live in a foreign country. We always learn a lot of them by communicating with native speakers or watching movies and series. In this post, you learn some phrasal verbs, idioms and expressions to communicate in a more natural way when speaking English in a foreign country.

* on the breadline – very poor; with very little money to live on.

Most students are on/close to/below the breadline.

* pay sth out – spend a lot of money on sth, usually money you don’t want to spend.

I’ve just paid out $500 on getting the car fixed.

* be worse off – be poorer, unhappier, etc. than before.

If Rick loses his job we’ll be even worse off.

* fall back on sth – have sth to use when in difficulty (in this case money).

If I lose my job, I’ll have nothing to fall back on.

 * lay / get your hands on sth – find or get sth that you want or really need.

I need to lay my hands on this offer.

* pay sth off – finish paying money that is owed for sth.

We should be able to pay off the debt within two years.

* pay your own way – pay for everything yourself without relying on others.

When my sister left our parents house, she was able to pay her own way very quickly as she got a great job.

* bail sb out – rescue sb from a difficult situation, usually with money.

* in the red – spending more money than you earn.

* make ends meet – to have just enough money to pay for the things that you need.

I always have to bail my friend out. He’s always in the red and can’t find a good job to make ends meet.

* have money to play with – have enough money to do sth.

We sold our parents’ house so now we have a little bit of money to play with.

* come to sth – add up to a total amount.

The bill has come to $50.

* cost an arm and a leg – cost a lot of money, very expensive.

These shoes cost an arm and a leg.

* without breaking the bank – without spending too much.

You can afford this house without breaking the bank.

I hope you learned some new phrasal verbs and idioms today, see you next time!

Source: Idioms and Phrasal Verbs – Advanced / Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman – Oxford