cold cash

noun

1. money immediately available:

   They will accept payment in cold cash only.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cold cash¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Idioms and Phrases

Also, hard cash . Actual currency (bills and coins); money immediately available, paid at the time of a purchase. For example, Will you lower the price if I pay in cold cash instead of using a credit card? or We have only a limited amount of hard cash—the rest is in accounts receivable . [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Private equity firms have wriggled their way into the inner circles of the Republican Party and the Trump administration through liberal applications of cold cash and influence.

From Los Angeles Times

In cold cash, the deficit totaled nearly $1 trillion, or 5 percent of GDP.

From Washington Post

Meanwhile, the utilities that provide our electricity are saving some hard, cold cash because of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” President Trump signed into law last December.

From Washington Times

“From nativity to church, to family, to commerce” goes the commonly held view of the season’s history, “a story of high beginnings, a cosy, warm middle and the chill of cold cash at the end.”

From Washington Post

What drew the Chinese crews to the Gaylord National resort in suburban Maryland — and similar gigs in Orlando, Dallas and Nashville — was a mix of aspiration, adventure and cold cash.

From Washington Post