“Have Money to Burn”
EXO — “LOTTO”
💭 Meaning
To “have money to burn” is to have so much money that it can be spent freely or carelessly, without worrying about the cost; it often implies excess wealth beyond what's needed.
✍️ Examples
Henry gently reminded a family that top-tier consulting packages aren't necessary unless you truly have money to burn.
The family touring colleges cross-country seemed to have money to burn, booking the most expensive hotels in every city.
Henry joked that publishing a grammar guidebook doesn't exactly leave you with money to burn, despite the hours of work involved.
📜 Origin
The phrase draws on the vivid image of having so much money that one could literally burn it without financial consequence, emphasizing extreme excess. The imagery of burning money as a symbol of wealth and carelessness has appeared in English for centuries, but the specific phrase “money to burn" became especially popular in American English by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often used to describe the wealthy spending lavishly or carelessly on luxuries.
