mad money

noun

, Informal.

1. a small sum of money carried or kept in reserve for minor expenses, emergencies, or impulse purchases.
2. a small sum of money carried by a woman on a date to enable her to reach home alone in case she and her escort quarrel and separate.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mad money¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

The Doan's specialty might not have ever become a red-carpet royalty favorite if Diane Keaton hadn’t shared one with her “Mad Money” co-star Katie Holmes sometime around 2008.

From Salon

His acolytes might have done even worse if they followed his Mad Money recommendation of keeping 10 percent of their portfolio in gold.

From Slate

Turns out, I was inadvertently following Cramer’s Mad Money rule No. 1: “Pigs get slaughtered.”

From Slate

Mr. Smith’s show outperformed other programs on the network, including “Mad Money with Jim Cramer,” according to ratings data from Nielsen.

From New York Times

The billionaire Bill Gates recently predicted that oil companies "will be worth very little" in 30 years; CNBC's loudest finance personality, Jim Cramer of Mad Money, has declared he's "done" with fossil fuel stocks.

From Salon