rubber check

noun

1. a check drawn on an account lacking the funds to pay it; a check that bounces.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubber check¹

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

A check drawn on an account without the funds to pay it, as in He's been handing out rubber checks right and left, but the police have caught up with him . The rubber alludes to the fact that, like rubber, the check “bounces,” in this case back from the bank. [ Slang ; c. 1920]