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pocketbook

pocketbook

33 4.3
A person's money available to pay for things
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːkɪtˌbʊk/
  • US
translation icon : bolsillo
  • American voters might select their political leaders for pocketbook issues, but history was made of more important stuff.
  • vote with their pocketbooks

The damage to this is going to go far beyond your pocketbook.

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Examples

  • My taste is too expensive for my pocketbook.

  • In making our choices, we vote with the pocketbook, and that vote carries enormous weight with producers.

    Academic text (2005)
  • "But when it is a problem of the pocketbook, it is very hard to come up with a solution."

    Academic text (2006)
  • But I would never let them near the government pocketbook, or he would have picked it clean.

    Blog text (13)
  • This type of investigation can be hard on your pocketbook.

  • So a divorce would hit him right in his pocketbook.

  • So a lot of lot of impacts on you and your business, on your pocketbook, on your wealth.

  • The public, more concerned about their pocketbooks than the environment, wants officials to stop the conversion process.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Tourists who want to vote with their pocketbooks for sustainable practices can consult networks that certify ecotourist operators.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Many families are struggling to save money because their pocketbooks are getting tighter.

Synonyms

pocket
vspocketbook
312 5.3

A supply of money available for spending

focuses on personal budget and ability to pay rather than investment use
bankroll
vspocketbook
9 5.5

Money that someone has to use for gambling or to fund a project

means an individual's budget and ability to pay rather than physical cash
1 4.5

Extra cash you can spend

is about overall budget and ability to pay rather than immediate funds

Compounds

pocketbook issue
  • Literature
4 4.8

An issue that affects people's money or jobs

How Much

wealth
106 1.9
savings
606 1.0
pocketbook
  • US
33 4.3
tight budget
10 2.9
poverty
550 2.0

Surface Forms

pocketbook singular
pocketbooks plural

Morphology

pocketbook = pocket + book (semi-transparent) = pocket + book

The sense 'financial resources' is a further metonymic/metaphoric extension from 'pocketbook' meaning a purse, so the link to the components is indirect.

Etymology

Pocketbook is used for a person's money or budget because it began as a name for a small book or case that held money; so talking about someone's pocketbook means talking about what they can pay or afford.