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Glite Dictionary
dumb tax

dumb tax

9.4
A small cost you pay because of a careless decision
  • noun
  • /dʌm tæks/
  • Slang
translation icon : impuesto tonto
  • If you don't read the contract carefully, you might end up paying a dumb tax later.

Examples

  • Forgetting to cancel the free trial meant I had to pay the dumb tax this month.

  • Buying a new car without negotiating was a classic way to pay the dumb tax.

  • Paying that late fee was just a dumb tax.

  • Many people incur dumb taxes by not reading the fine print.

  • Forgetting to cancel the free trial meant I had to pay the dumb tax this month.

  • Buying a new car without negotiating was a classic way to pay the dumb tax.

  • If you don't read the contract carefully, you might end up paying a dumb tax later.

Synonyms

stupidity tax
vsdumb tax
  • Informal
1 8.9

A loss or extra cost you get after making a careless mistake

refers specifically to a financial cost from poor decisions rather than any broader loss

How Costly

fine
321 2.8
dumb tax
  • Slang
9.4
to charge
808 2.0
small fee
9 1.0

Surface Forms

dumb tax singular
dumb taxes plural

Morphology

dumb + tax

The phrase combines the known words 'dumb' and 'tax' to mean a cost or penalty resulting from a stupid decision, so a learner who knows both words can infer the general idea. However, the use of 'tax' metaphorically (not a literal government levy) and the informal/slang nuance make the exact interpretation and pragmatic use less predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Dumb tax may come from a simple image: you do something dumb (silly) and then you have to pay like a tax for that mistake. So, dumb tax means 'an extra cost you have to pay because of a bad or careless decision'.