see the color of (one's) money

(redirected from see the color of their money)

see the color of (one's) money

To view the money that one will pay with in order to verify that they have it. Sure I trust you—but I still want to see the color of your money so I know you're good for it.

see the color of someone's money

Fig. to verify that someone has money or has enough money. So, you want to make a bet? Not until I see the color of your money. I want to see the color of your money before we go any further with this business deal.

color of someone's money, see the

Prove that you can pay, as in Before we talk any more about this car, let's see the color of your money. This term probably originated in gambling or betting. [Slang; early 1900s]

see the colour of someone's money

receive some evidence of forthcoming payment from a person.

see the ˌcolour of somebody’s ˈmoney

(British English) (American English see the ˌcolor of somebody’s ˈmoney) (informal) make sure that somebody has enough money to pay you, especially if you think they might not have it: I want to see the colour of his money before I start doing such a dangerous job for him.

color of your money, let's see the

Back up your claim with hard evidence. A twentieth-century Americanism, according to Eric Partridge, it originated in gambling or betting, as a challenge or to make sure that the bettor actually had enough cash to cover a bet. One writer holds that it was already common in eighteenth-century England, but his citation is not verifiable. In any event, it is unlikely that the actual hue of the money was in doubt, unless the questioner felt it might be counterfeit. More likely “color” was used figuratively for something readily identifiable.