Bread and Butter

A person or company’s main way of earning money may be described as their bread and butter: They provide legal advice for companies – that’s their bread and butter.

In UK English, a way of earning money that is very easy, needing little effort, may be referred to as money for old rope or money for jam. A lot of people assume that buying and selling property is money for old rope. Similarly, on hearing about an easy job that earns a lot of money for someone else, someone might say humorously, Nice work if you can get it! Eighty pounds an hour for rubbing someone’s shoulders? Nice work if you can get it!

Other phrases simply mean ‘to earn a lot of money’ – for example, the expression to rake it in (informal): They’ve started selling ice cream in the main square and they’re raking it in. Another informal phrase meaning the same is to make money hand over fist: Business was good and we were making money hand over fist.

A company or person in business that keeps their head above water only just earns enough money to keep going: At the moment, we’re only just managing to keep our head above water.

A company that cuts corners, meanwhile, does something in the cheapest and fastest way, usually resulting in a product or service of poor quality: They certainly don’t cut any corners – only the best materials go into making the products. Finally, if a company’s profits suddenly fall very badly, they may be said to take a nosedive: The company has just announced its final results: pre-tax profits have taken a nosedive.

Flip a coin

to make a decision by flipping a coin in the air and selecting heads or tails

Stretch money

to be careful in making money last longer

Above par
more than average, above normal, more than the face value of a bond or stock or currency

Almighty dollar
money when it is viewed as more important than anything else

Poor as a church mouse

very poor

Sound as a pound

very secure and dependable

At a premium
at a higher price than usual because of something special

At all costs
at any expense of time or effort or money

Back on one`s feet
to return to good financial health

Balance the books/accounts
to make sure that all money is accounted for by using generally accepted accounting methods

Below par
lower than average, below normal, less than the face value of a bond or stock or currency

Bet on the wrong horse
to base one`s plans on a wrong guess about the results of something

Beyond one's means
more than one can afford