buck

bang for the buck

value for the money spent; excitement for the money spent; a favorable cost-to-benefit ratio. (Expressed as an amount of bang for the buck.) I didn't get anywhere near the bang for the buck I expected. How much bang for the buck did you really think you would get from a twelve-year-old car—at any price?

See also: bang

big bucks

a very large amount of money. He earns big bucks for doing almost nothing.

See also: big

buck someone off

[for a horse or similar animal] to rear up in an attempt to shake off its rider. The horse tried to buck Sharon off, but she held on tight. The horse bucked off its rider.

buck for something

Sl. to work ambitiously for something, such as a promotion. I'm just bucking for recognition and, of course, a 20 percent raise. You can tell by her attention to the boss that she's bucking for promotion.

buck stops here

The need to act or take responsibility, that other people pass on to still other people, ultimately ends up here. (An expression made famous by U.S. President Harry Truman, about the finality of decisions a president must make. See also pass the buck.) After everyone else has avoided making the decision, I will have to do it. The buck stops here.

See also: here, stop

buck up

to cheer up; to perk up. Come on, now, buck up. Things can't be all that bad. She began to buck up when I showed her the results of the tests.

See also: up

make a fast buck and make a quick buck

to make money with little effort or in a short time. Tom is always ready to make a fast buck. I made a quick buck selling used cars.

See also: fast, make

pass the buck

Fig. to pass the blame (to someone else); to give the responsibility (to someone else). (See also The buck stops here.) Don't try to pass the buck! It's your fault, and everybody knows it. Some people try to pass the buck whenever they can.

See also: pass

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[more/a bigger etc.] bang for your buck  (American informal)

if something that you buy gives you more bang for your buck, you get more value for your money by buying this product than from buying any other

Usage notes: 'Buck', in American English, is an informal way of saying 'dollar' (= a unit of money in America).

If all you want is death-benefit cover, this type of insurance policy will give you more bang for your buck.

See also: bang, more

a bucks party  (Australian)

a party for a man who is going to get married to which only his male friends are invited I got a bit drunk at Pete's bucks party and disgraced myself.

See also: party

buck naked  (American & Australian informal)

completely naked I got a shock when I saw her sitting buck naked, drink in hand, watching TV.

See also: naked

buck the trend

to be noticeably different from the way that a situation is developing generally, especially in connection with financial matters Spending is down this season, but the tourist industry is managing to buck the trend, with thousands more holidays sold.

See also: trend

look/feel (like) a million dollars  (British, American & Australian) also look/feel (like) a million bucks (American)

to look or feel extremely attractive You look like a million dollars in that dress!

See Thanks a million!, be one in a million

See also: dollar, look, million

make a fast/quick buck  (American & Australian informal)

to earn money quickly and often in a way that is not honest

Usage notes: A buck is an informal word for a dollar (= a unit of money in America).

Times are hard - you have to make a fast buck wherever and however you can.

See also: fast, make

pass the buck

to blame someone or to make them responsible for a problem that you should deal with yourself

Usage notes: In the card game poker, the buck is an object passed to the person who wins in order to remind them that they must be the first person to give money for the prize in the next game.

(sometimes + to ) Parents often try to pass the buck to teachers when children misbehave in school. Bus companies are just passing the buck by saying their drivers are responsible for delays.

See also: pass

The buck stops here.

something that you say in order to tell someone that you will take responsibility for a situation or problem We carry out all the safety tests in this department, so the buck stops here.

See pass the buck

See also: here, stop

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bang for the buck also bang for your buck

value in exchange for money or effort This is a great little red wine that gives you plenty of bang for the buck.

Usage notes: often used with more, bigger, and other adjectives: For most users, these new computers provide more bang for the buck.

Etymology: based on the slang meaning of bang (excitement ) and buck (money)

See also: bang

buck the system

to fight against the usual way of doing something Tom spent much of his working life bucking the system, which explains why he didn't get many promotions.

See also: system

buck up (somebody) also buck (somebody) up

to encourage someone to be energetic and positive I told the kids when they had colds to buck up and tough it out.

See also: up

pass the buck

to make someone else responsible for something Bus companies say their drivers are causing delays, but they are just passing the buck again.

See also: pass

the buck stops with somebody also the buck stops here

someone takes responsibility for a situation or problem I approved the plan, I'm responsible for it, and the buck stops with me. I didn't feel the article misrepresented me. I mean, the buck stops here - I did write about those things.

See also: stop