in the money

in the money idiom
  1. Also, in the chips. Rich, affluent. For example, When he's in the money, he's extremely generous to his friends, or After that box-office bonanza, she's in the chips. The chips in the variant presumably allude to poker chips. [Colloquial; late 1800s]
  2. Placing first, second or third in a contest on which a bet has been placed, especially a horse race. For example, My luck held today, and I ended up in the money. [c. 1900]

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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