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money burns a hole in one's pocket

money burns a hole in one's pocket idiom

One can't keep from spending whatever money one has. For example, As soon as she gets paid she goes shopping; money burns a hole in her pocket. This hyperbolic expression, which alleges that one must take out the money before it actually burns a hole, was stated only slightly differently by Thomas More (c. 1530): “A little wanton money ... burned out the bottom of his purse.”

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.