a golden opportunity
An excellent chance that is unlikely to occur again.
Example: Moving to the new office was a golden opportunity for her career.
C120 words · Advanced
Money & Success vocabulary — C1
Money and success idioms for describing wealth and its abuse, with phrases like make a killing, grease someone's palm and live hand to mouth.
20 questions
Words in this set
20strike gold
To find great success or make a highly valuable discovery.
Example:
The band struck gold with their very first single.
the lion's share
The largest part of something that is being divided.
Example:
The eldest son inherited the lion's share of the family business.
reach for the stars
To aim very high and set extremely ambitious goals.
Example:
Their coach always told them to reach for the stars.
make a killing
To earn a very large profit, often quickly and easily.
Example:
Early investors made a killing when the company went public.
cash cow
A product or business that reliably brings in profit over a long period.
Example:
The mobile app became the company's biggest cash cow.
a shoestring budget
A very small amount available to spend on something.
Example:
They made the film on a shoestring budget.
money for old rope
Cash earned very easily, for little or no effort.
Example:
Selling those extra tickets was money for old rope.
grease someone's palm
To give someone cash secretly to persuade them to help you, usually dishonestly.
Example:
He greased the guard's palm to get inside early.
line your pockets
To make money for yourself, often in a dishonest or unfair way.
Example:
The manager was accused of lining his pockets with company funds.
on the breadline
Having barely enough money to live on.
Example:
A third of the town was on the breadline by that winter.
feel the pinch
To start having financial difficulty.
Example:
Small shops feel the pinch long before anybody reports it.
live hand to mouth
To have only just enough money for immediate needs.
Example:
They had to live hand to mouth for the first two years.
a licence to print money
A business that makes money with almost no effort.
Example:
That car park is a licence to print money and always has been.
throw money at the problem
To try to solve something by spending, rather than thinking.
Example:
They chose to throw money at the problem for four years running.
a slush fund
Money kept aside for secret or improper purposes.
Example:
The inquiry found a slush fund running to six figures.
a war chest
Money set aside for a major campaign or purchase.
Example:
They built a war chest for two years before bidding.
cost the earth
To be extremely expensive.
Example:
Getting the roof done properly would cost the earth.
money is no object
The cost does not matter at all.
Example:
For that one client money is no object and never has been.
the bank of mum and dad
Parents as a source of money for adult children.
Example:
Half that street was bought with the bank of mum and dad.
