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laugh all the way to the bank

laugh all the way to the bank idiom

Also, cried all the way to the bank. Exult in a financial gain from something that had either been derided or thought worthless. For example, You may not think much of this comedian, but he's laughing all the way to the bank. Despite the seeming difference between laugh and cry, the two terms are virtually synonymous, the one with cry being used ironically and laugh straightforwardly. [c. 1960]

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.