coin of the realm

noun
/ˈkɔɪn əv ðə ˈɹɛlm/US

Etymology

The term originally referred to actual coins issued by authority of the British monarch for use within the kingdom or realm: see, for example, the 18th-century quotations.

Definitions

  1. The legal money of a country.

  2. Something that is valued like money within a particular context.

    • In financial markets the coin of the realm is returns; in politics it is power. Modern capital markets mediate competing claims for money and power among governments and businesses, savers and borrowers.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for coin of the realm. 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