The business world is full of idioms to describe finance. Rather than saying “the company is having financial problems” or “the company is not making money,” the business world uses inventive idioms to express financial woe. The following list includes some of the many sayings for money problems in English. Hopefully you will only use these expressions to describe the competition’s business, rather than your own!
Expressions for Money Problems
Tighten your belts
Definition: to spend less; to decrease the budget
Example: After last quarter’s report, it looks like we have to tighten our belts for the rest of the year.
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To be hard up (for money/cash)
Definition: to need money that you don’t have
Example: Three of their departments closed and a lot of their inventory is on sale. It looks like they are hard up for cash at the moment.
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To be dead broke
Definition: to have no money
Example: He never saved any money, and then he got fired. Now he can’t find a job and he’s dead broke.
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You can’t give (something) away
Definition: when something is so worthless that it can’t be sold
Example: I remember when everyone wanted last year’s “hot” toy. Now you can’t give it away.
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To be worth pennies
Definition: to have very little value
Example: My computer was expensive when I bought it. Now it’s worth pennies.
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A saturated market
Definition: a market that has too much of a specific product
Example: The market was saturated with tablets and e-readers after the success of the Kindle.
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