chump change
8
8.2
- noun
- /tʃʌmp tʃeɪndʒ/
- Informal
:
miseria
- It's chump change.
- just chump change
- billion is chump change
- look like chump change
That's, that's, that's chump change in the context of the American budget.
- That's, that's, that's chump change in the context of the American budget.
- And what happened in Rhode Island is chump change compared to what just happened in England.
- That is chump change and it's a fraction of what these solutions used to cost.
- High school, it's chump change compared to middle school.
Examples
-
That 20,000 might be chump change to you, but it's everything we had.
-
And 40k is chump change for a megayacht owner.
Blog text (10) -
That sure sounds like chump change to me.
-
- Yeah, what are you gonna do with that chump change?
-
And the amount of money we're talking about here is chump change compared to what I have seen.
Blog text (12) -
It's not clear why the President would be so involved hunting for such chump change.
Blog text (20) -
And what happened in Rhode Island is chump change compared to what just happened in England.
-
That's chump change compared to what we have here.
-
As bailouts go, that's chump change.
Blog text (8) -
Getting paid $50 for that job is just chump change compared to the amount of work I put in.
Synonyms
15
7.9
A very small amount of money paid to someone for their work
14
1.0
Small coins or money you do not need and carry with you
10
2.3
A small amount of money in coins that is not worth much
8
7.9
A very small amount of money for something cheap
8
2.5
A small amount of money, usually coins, kept for minor expenses
8
3.1
Small coins people keep in pockets or jars
5
9.9
An old British coin worth two pennies or a very small amount of money
2
8.1
A very small, unimportant amount
2
9.9
Something of little or no worth
A very small amount of money that is not worth much
A very small amount of money that is not worth much
A very small amount that is not enough
A very small amount of money or something of little value
A very small amount of money that has little value
A very small amount of money that has little value
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a very small or insignificant amount' is partially inferable because 'change' denotes small coins or money and 'chump' conveys something or someone of little value, so a learner could plausibly guess it refers to trivial money. However, the phrase is idiomatic and the exact evaluative nuance (dismissiveness) and conventional usage are not fully predictable from the constituents, making it only partially transparent.
Etymology
Chump change may come from chump (a fool) and change (small coins); the picture is of money so small that only a fool would care, so it now means 'a very small amount of money'.