quick buck
9
5.3
- noun
- Informal
:
dinero fácil
- So the managers again made a quick buck by selling the new machines.
You know, but that's what happens when people want to make a quick buck versus going for cash flow.
- You know, but that's what happens when people want to make a quick buck versus going for cash flow.
- Pretty quickly, people started to suspect that zombie formalism was just trying to make a quick buck.
- When like when the the why is there, when there's a clear and obvious why, I'll, I'll, I'll do it and not just for a quick buck.
- You know, somebody likes a fast hustle, quick buck, you know the approach.
- Trying to sell out for for the quick cash out for the quick buck out can be tempting in the short term.
- You know, family, friends, dad's friends, you know, you know, the temptation to, to earn a quick buck.
Examples
-
Investors were duped by "gamers" who got into the party late to make a quick buck.
Blog text (19) -
You looking to make a quick buck?
-
One could really make a quick buck with it.
-
You saw a way to make a quick buck!
-
And a guy said that he knew how I could make a quick buck.
-
People who would let nothing stand in the way of making a quick buck.
-
Because my goal was to get people results, not to make a quick buck.
Blog text (4) -
Vinyl is made for the fans, not those looking to make a quick buck.
Blog text (30) -
That's a big difference between a real journalist and a paparazzi who's just here for a quick buck.
Academic text (2013) -
Many people try to make a quick buck by selling items online.
Synonyms
8
3.2
Money someone earns with little work
3
7.9
Money earned quickly, often by dishonest or easy ways
Easy pay you get with little or no work
Easy extra pay for very little work
How Fast
1
3.6
- Informal
9
5.3
- UK
1
2.6
- Informal
1
3.7
642
1.3
8
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'money earned quickly' is directly and compositionally derived from 'quick' (fast) + 'buck' (dollar/money), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the overall sense (as in 'make a quick buck'). There is a pragmatic nuance (often implying ease or opportunistic/questionable means) that learners might not fully capture, but the core meaning is transparent and predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
One popular idea says the noun quick buck comes from everyday speech where buck means 'dollar' and quick means fast. Picture getting a dollar right away from a small, fast deal, and you can see why quick buck means 'money earned quickly, often by easy or dishonest ways'.