in high cotton
1
9.9
- idiom
- Archaic
- After years of hard work and saving, they found themselves living in high cotton with a beautiful home in the suburbs.
Examples
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Having received a generous bonus, Sarah realized she was in high cotton this holiday season, able to treat her friends to dinner.
-
We'll be in high cotton.
-
After that, Mister and Mrs. America, it's a stroll in high cotton.
Fiction book (1995) -
Enough that we'll be shittin' in high cotton.
-
Yeah, y'all shittin' in high cotton now.
-
Perhaps more people know Paul Ryan wanted to screw over everybody under 55, but keep the AARP crowd in high cotton.
Blog text (18) -
(gestures) I'm livin' in high cotton. Lillian
Fiction book (1990) -
After starting his new business, he felt like he was finally in high cotton and able to enjoy life to the fullest.
Synonyms
38
3.4
Having enough money to live comfortably
17
2.9
Having enough money to live without money worries
2
4.8
A person or family that has enough money and lives comfortably
Antonyms
How Prosperous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'in a position of comfort or prosperity' cannot be directly derived from the literal constituents 'in' + 'high' + 'cotton' — knowing 'cotton' as a fabric or plant does not make the idiomatic sense obvious. This is a regional, agricultural metaphor (tall cotton = good harvest) that requires cultural knowledge and prior exposure, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not reliably infer the meaning.
Etymology
In high cotton comes from Southern U.S. farming, where tall cotton plants after a good season showed a rich harvest and more money. So being in high cotton came to mean being 'well off' or 'in a comfortable position'.