cash on the barrelhead

noun

Etymology

On the American frontier, barrels were employed as desks or tables with which to conduct transactions.

Definitions

  1. Money in the form of paper currency or coins, paid immediately at the time and place of a…

    Money in the form of paper currency or coins, paid immediately at the time and place of a transaction: cash only (no credit), and at the point of sale.

    • "[W]e're selling, to the highest bidder, and for cash on the barrel head. . . . Cash in hand, no checks accepted."
    • [I]n 1946 the U.S. exported $2,166 million worth of food. . . . Most of this ($1,354 million) was paid for, cash on the barrelhead. But $628 million was the U.S. contribution to UNRRA stocks, and $184 million went through Lend-Lease.
    • In return for support of an Iraq invasion, Turkey wanted—and got—immediate aid, cash on the barrelhead, rather than mere assurances about future help.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for cash on the barrelhead. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA