ain't hay
1
9.7
- idiom
- UK
:
no es insignificante
- Winning that much money ain't hay for a weekend's work.
Examples
-
Getting published in a major journal ain't hay for a young scientist.
-
She got a 10% raise, which ain't hay in this economy.
-
This project ain't hay; it's worth a lot!
-
That amount ain't hay for a small business.
-
Well, this grass ain't hay.
-
As the expression goes, "That ain't hay."
-
There's gold in them acres, and that ain't hay.
Synonyms
Large enough to be important and need attention
Antonyms
How Valuable
75
4.1
526
2.5
- UK
1
9.7
415
3.3
600
2.4
104
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
ain't + hay
The meaning 'not insignificant; of considerable value' cannot be derived from the literal parts 'ain't' (colloquial negation) + 'hay' (dried grass). This is a colloquial idiom whose evaluative sense is historical/idiomatic rather than compositional, so learners who know the words would not reliably infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Ain't hay may come from farm life, where hay was common and low value. Saying something 'ain't hay' meant it was not just ordinary hay but something worth noticing, so now it means 'not unimportant' or 'of real value'.