big fat bonus
1
3.3
- noun
- Informal
:
gran bonificación
- Employees were thrilled to receive a big fat bonus in their paychecks this month.
Examples
-
He smelled a big fat bonus somewhere down the line.
Fiction book (1991) -
The company decided to reward its employees with a big fat bonus this holiday season.
-
Little Mike falls through the cracks, and come Christmas, the HMO sends the doc a big, fat bonus check.
Fiction book (2002) -
After a successful quarter, the manager announced a big fat bonus for the sales team.
Synonyms
310
2.2
A company pays extra money to an employee for good work
68
1.3
Money you earn in addition to your regular pay
38
4.8
A prize given to people as a reward for buying or entering a contest
1
3.1
A very large and impressive award given to the winner
How Large
- Informal
1
3.3
310
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a large or substantial bonus' is directly derivable from combining 'big' (large) with 'bonus' (extra pay); the adjective 'fat' here functions as a common metaphorical intensifier meaning 'substantial' or 'generous'. This compositional pattern (adjectives reinforcing size/value) is frequent in English and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the overall sense.
Etymology
Big fat bonus paints a simple picture: big means large and fat suggests something full and rich, like a very full reward. That's why big fat bonus is used to mean 'a very large extra payment'.