cash in

cash in idiom
  1. Settle an account, close a matter, quit, as in I'm simply going to cash in and leave, or The countries of the former Soviet Union have cashed in. [Late 1800s]
  2. Profit handsomely, as in When the stock price went up, we really cashed in. This phrase often is extended to cash in on, meaning to take advantage of. [Early 1900s]
  3. Also, cash in one's chips. Die, as in If this new treatment fails, Bob may be cashing in his chips before long. This usage was a transfer from quitting a poker game. [Slang; late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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