mad money
3
6.7
- noun
- /mæd ˈmʌni/
- US
- The three thousand bucks of mad money I had taped under the sink is gone.
Examples
-
There's some "mad money" in the night table drawer.
Fiction book (2001) -
After paying my bills, I like to set aside some mad money for unexpected fun or entertainment.
-
I know it's mad money.
-
I got mad money, man, mad money.
Fiction book (1999) -
I got mad money, man, mad money.
Fiction book (1999) -
I been saving up mad money, you know, and my mom be taking it all.
-
He called here after he ran out of his mad money...
-
There's even some "mad money" in the night table drawer for you.
-
Dante makes mad money.
-
I save a little bit of my paycheck every month as mad money for spontaneous trips or activities.
Synonyms
13
3.2
A small amount of money kept for minor office expenses
11
2.0
Money you keep to buy small things like coffee or snacks
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The connection between 'mad' and the meaning 'small discretionary fund' is only partially predictable: 'mad' here is a colloquial intensifier implying impulsive or indulgent spending rather than anger, so a learner who knows the words might infer something like 'money for crazy purchases' but not the conventionalised notion of a set-aside petty fund. Because the sense relies on a special colloquial use of 'mad' and conventional usage knowledge, it is not fully transparent to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Mad money may come from the idea of keeping a little money for mad (wild or sudden) wants to buy something fun. That's why it means 'a small amount of money set aside for fun or unexpected spending'.