Meaning of mad money | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A sum of money, often relatively small in amount, kept in reserve to use for impulsive, frivolous purposes.
   idiomatic, uncountable
2. A sum of money kept in reserve or to insulate oneself financially in the event of the sudden breakdown of a relationship in which one is economically dependent.
   idiomatic, uncountable

Examples

“Ultrasuede minibags "are just the solution for waste⟳." And for crime. Most minis hardly hold⟳ more than mad money and a comb.”

“Such an expression is mad money, noted as early as 1922 by Howard J. Savage (Dialect Notes 5:148) at the end⟳ of an article on Bryn Mawr slang. Savage's definition is 'money a girl carries in case she has a row with her escort and wishes to go home alone.'”

CEFR level