quick buck
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: - Quick or easy earnings: Money earned rapidly and with relatively little effort, often implying a short-term, opportunistic, or sometimes unscrupulous approach, rather than steady, long-term work.
Usage
The term "quick buck" is almost always used in a critical or disapproving context. It suggests a pursuit of immediate financial gain without regard for quality, ethics, or sustainability. It is commonly used with verbs like "make," "earn," or "turn a."
Examples
- He's not interested in building a real business; he's just looking for a quick buck.
- The company was accused of cutting corners to make a quick buck at the expense of product safety.
- Be wary of schemes that promise a quick buck with no real work involved.
Advanced Usage
- "Make a quick buck": The most common collocation, emphasizing the action of obtaining easy money.
- They saw the trend and jumped in just to make a quick buck.
- "Out for a quick buck" / "In it for a quick buck": Describes a person or entity whose primary motivation is fast, easy profit.
- The neighborhood is changing, with many developers in it for a quick buck.
Variants and Related Words
- Fast buck: A direct synonym with identical meaning and usage.
- He made a fast buck selling counterfeit tickets.
- Quick money: A more neutral phrase with a similar meaning, though it can lack the same critical connotation.
Synonyms
- Easy money: Money obtained without much effort.
- Windfall: A sudden, unexpected gain of money, but this often implies luck (like an inheritance) rather than necessarily an opportunistic scheme.
Related Idioms
- "Get-rich-quick": Used as an adjective to describe schemes or attitudes focused on rapid wealth acquisition.
- He lost his savings in a get-rich-quick scam.
- "Make a fast/quick penny": A less common variant with the same meaning.
Noun
- quick or easy earnings, "they are traders out to make a fast buck"