cash on the barrelhead

Idioms and Phrases

Immediate payment, as in They won't extend credit; it's cash on the barrelhead or no sale . The lexicographer Charles Earle Funk surmised that this term originated in the days when upended barrels served as both seats and tables in bars, and customers were required to pay for their drinks immediately, literally putting their money on the top (head) of a barrel.

Example Sentences

In his TV spots, he cuddled a puppy — again, not always the same puppy — and his ads promised that some of your cash on the barrelhead would go to save the lives of cutie pets like this one.

From Los Angeles Times

They aren’t looking for cash on the barrelhead but rather pledges, from businesses and individuals.

From Washington Times

She paid for the whole thing cash on the barrelhead!

From Literature

The venture did not instantly provide Washington with much ready capital — many of the transactions were not cash on the barrelhead but by barter or credit.

From New York Times

‘It doesn’t have to be this way’ There are more reasons than cash on the barrelhead for Time Warner, Comcast, Charter and others to love the cable box: it logs everything you do with your TV and makes that information available to the companies selling you your TV.

From The Guardian