Classifying the idioms concerning money according to their meanings

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Money has existed and accompanied with people for a long time. It has an indispensable role in every society and is a measurement for the prosperity, power and influence of a nation. Due to its importance, money appears in a lot of idioms expressing people’s ideas, attitudes, preferences etc. The paper uses the methods of data collecting and analyzing to look into some major types of meaning of 100 idioms concerning money.

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Nội dung Text: Classifying the idioms concerning money according to their meanings

HỘI NGHỊ TOÀN QUỐC KHOA HỌC TRÁI ĐẤT VÀ TÀI NGUYÊN VỚI PHÁT TRIỂN BỀN VỮNG (ERSD 2022) Classifying the idioms concerning money according to their meanings Nguyen Hong Van* Hanoi University of Mining and Geology ABSTRACT Money has existed and accompanied with people for a long time. It has an indispensable role in every society and is a measurement for the prosperity, power and influence of a nation. Due to its importance, money appears in a lot of idioms expressing people’s ideas, attitudes, preferences etc. The paper uses the methods of data collecting and analyzing to look into some major types of meaning of 100 idioms concerning money. Keywords: Idioms; money; meaning 1. Introduction Idioms occupy a small position but significant role in many languages in general and in the English language in particular. An idiom may not necessarily be a complete sentence, rather a cluster of words or phrases, yet signify metaphorical and cultural implications. A minor number of idioms express the meaning as the sum of its constituent parts’ meanings (like father like son) are easy to understand whereas the rest express more general and deeper meaning (kick the bucket). Normally, an idiom conveys a message which goes beyond the original meaning of the words it consists of and seems not relate to the vocabulary it is using. Hence, idioms require intensive knowledge of the language and culture so as to use and understand them properly. Money has proved its power since its appearance. It has a special role in individuals’ lives, societies and nations. It also shows the potential economic, military and cultural status of a country. Thanks to its importance, the vocabulary and idioms concerning money in the English language comprise a significant portion. Those idioms refer to every aspect of people’s life from material to manners, habits, mindsets, relationships, customs or communication, etc. This paper collects 100 idioms and classifies them into four main categories of meanings. 2. Literature review and methods of study 2.1. Literature review 2.1.1. The role of money in people’s life Before money appeared, people bartered goods and services directly with each other. This caused inconveniences in regulating the balance between needs and supplies and took a lot of time. In about 770 B.C paper money was invented and in 600 A.D, coins were made in Lydia (west of Turkey) and used commonly in Europe. Thanks to this, money became a store of value, a unit of account as it helped evaluate people’s assets and price goods. Since then, a new method of payment has been used in selling and buying things. Gradually, it became the government’s tool in economy, politics, taxes and also supported the Army. Money helps in all fields of life like trading, consuming, health care and education, etc. 2.1.2. What is an idiom? An idiom is defined as “an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements”. (Dictionary.com). In other words, “An idiom is a group of words which have a different meaning when used together from the one they would have if you took the meaning of each word separately”. (Colindictionary.com). From the definitions above, idioms should be understood in a non-literal and deeper way. 2.1.3. Idioms concerning money Idioms concerning money include the words related to money but they do not simply refer to the financial issues but many other aspects of people’s life. For example: blood money implies the money someone inherits after a relative’s death; easy money means the money earned with very little work or effort. * Tác giả liên hệ Email: nguyenhongvan@humg.edu.vn 1333
As mentioned above, money plays an indispensable role in people’s life so the vocabulary and idioms concerning money gain a dominant quantity in languages. The study has shown that those idioms focus on four main categories according to their meanings, i.e. positive, negative, neutral and as advice in which the ones with negative meanings and function as advice gain the majority. 2.2. The methods of the study Data collecting and analyzing were applied in this study. About 100 idioms including “money” were studied and classified into four types of meanings. 3. The results of the study Table 1. The idioms concerning money with positive meanings Idiom Meaning and example To pay for everyone. 1 To foot the bill. My boyfriend will foot the bill at the restaurant tonight. Suddenly have a lot of money. 2 Be in the money. Jake has just won the lottery. He’s in the money now. To get what one rightfully deserves. Get a run for one’s 3 Our big company is getting a run for its money from the small-sized yet money. innovative competitor. A business/product which generates a stable flow of income/profit. 4 Cash cow. After the economic crisis, the company now has its annual cash cow. Very rich. 5 Rolling in money. Sam is rolling in money because he has just won a lottery. Money gives you power and influence. 6 Money talks! We had luxurious service at the five-star hotel. Money talks! To earn a lot of money. Many people are buying and selling crypto currency with the hope to 7 To make big bucks. make big bucks. To bank on someone To be certain of/confident on someone or something. 8 or something. I can always bank on Judy. She is always there for me when I need her. A job that is an easy way to earn money. 9 Money for old rope. Many people think being an investor is money for old rope. When one makes a lot of money by little or no effort. A license to print 10 James’ new venture in the insurance field is giving him a license to print money. money. Table 2. The idioms concerning money with negative meanings Idiom Meaning and example To sell something to gain whatever profit you can because you suspect its value will fall. 1 To cash in your chips. A lot of the company’s shares have been sold to cash in chips after a rumour of its bankruptcy. To carelessly spend money on unnecessary things. To throw money 2 My girlfriend is always throwing money around on the clothes that she around. will never wear. Someone who does not like to spend money, a stingy person. 3 Money grubber. She'll never give you money for your idea. She's a money grubber. Not have two pennies To be poor. 4 to rub together. Many people don’t have two pennies to rub together in the Pandemic. Spend too much money. Spend money like 5 My wife goes shopping almost every day and she spends money like water. water. Waste more and more money on something. Throw good money 6 Don’t throw good money after bad by buying a second-hand laptop then after bad. pay for repairing it. Short of money. 7 Strapped for cash. Students are usually strapped for cash at the end of the month. 1334
Idiom Meaning and example To turn up like a bad To turn up where you are not wanted. 8 penny. He turned up like a bad penny at his ex-girlfriend’s wedding. Be careful in handling small amounts but careless in dealing with large Penny-wise and amounts. 9 pound foolish. My wife is penny-wise and pound foolish in her shopping. Money is the root of Money is to blame for the problems and wrongdoings in this world. 10 all evil. Table 3. Idioms concerning money with neutral meanings Idioms Meaning/example Something that is so common it has no special value. 1 A dime a dozen. Those shoes are a dime a dozen. To go to the restroom. 2 To spend a penny. Justin said he needed to spend a penny and I didn’t ask any more questions. To put in one’s two To give one’s comments. 3 cents. I would like to put in my two cents during the discussions. To have the penny To finally realise/understand something 4 drop. I finally have the penny drop from his stories. To have money To have money which you are eager to spend 5 burning a hole in your The girl has some money burning a hole in her pocket in the clearance pocket. sale. A small amount of money that you earn and spend on yourself (normally 6 Pin money. something you want, not need). She teaches French now and then, just for pin money. To donate time or money toward something. 7 To chip in. Sam said he could chip in on the gift for Kelsey. Selling something, but only if the buyer can pick it up (no delivery) and pay cash. 8 Cash-and-carry. The Metro chain is a kind of cash-and-carry store. Considering the amount of money something costs and its value. 9 Dollar for dollar. Dollar for dollar, this house is the better choice. Money paid in advance of receiving something in exchange. 10 Front money. Don’t give him any front money, he a known scammer. Table 4. Idioms concerning money as advice Idiom Meaning and example To imply that someone should stop talking about ambition and start taking Put one’s money action to realize it. 1 where one’s mouth is. If you really want to buy a villa, then put your money where your mouth is. To save money in case an emergency or an unfortunate event arises. Save money for a 2 I had been saving money for a rainy day so I could pay for my hospital rainy day. bills. Money doesn’t grow Money is not easy to acquire. 3 on trees. Money doesn’t grow on trees! Your parents are working hard. Time is valuable and shouldn’t be wasted. 4 Time is money. Don’t play too much! Time is money. By not spending money, it’s as if you are earning more money because A penny saved is a 5 you still have it in your pocket. penny earned. Dad says he is saving money because a penny saved is a penny earned. Never marry for Wealth is not one’s primary focus in choosing a spouse, but it’s an 6 money but marry important consideration. where money is. 1335
Idiom Meaning and example Money can’t buy Wealth and material goods will not bring long-term happiness. 7 happiness. Early money is like Early investment can help generate the growth of large amounts of money 8 yeast (because it helps in the future. to raise the dough). Lend your money and Lending money to a friend brings with it a host of issues that can end up 9 lose your friends. threatening that friendship. Pay your money and Be responsible for your decision and do not blame anyone else. 10 take your choice. 4. Conclusion Since money goes along with and has a special function in people’s history and life, the language resources related to it also expand with time. Accordingly, the English idioms concerning “money” have helped express various and sophisticated meanings to serve human’s different communication purposes. Understanding and using those properly can help learners of English improve and absorb the language significantly. Thus, the four main types of “money” idioms introduced in this paper may support their learning journey. References Avani, 2014. Thirty five idioms about money. Spellzone. Kerlynb, 2022. 20 money idioms explained to ESL students. Owlcation. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/idiom https://www.dictionary.com/browse/idiom#:~:text=An%20idiom%20is%20a%20term,words%20it%2 0is%20made%20of. https://www.linguahouse.com/learning-english/general-english/idioms-with-money https://theconversation.com/when-and-why-did-people-first-start-using-money-78887 https://thefreedictionary.com TÓM TẮT Phân loại thành ngữ tiếng Anh liên quan đến tiền tệ theo trường nghĩa Nguyen Hong Van* Hanoi University of Mining and Geology Tiền tệ đã tồn tại trong cuộc sống loài người từ xa xưa. Nó đóng vai trò quan trọng trong xã hội và là thước đo sức mạnh, sự thịnh vượng và tầm ảnh hưởng của một quốc gia. Do đó, khái niệm tiền xuất hiện rất nhiều trong những thành ngữ thể hiện tư tưởng, thái độ, sự yêu ghét … của con người. Bài báo này sử dụng phương pháp tổng hợp và phân tích dữ liệu qua việc nghiên cứu, phân tích 100 thành ngữ liên quan đến tiền tệ qua 4 trường nghĩa chính. Từ khóa: Thành ngữ; tiền; ý nghĩa 1336