Meaning
Money or profit gained with very little effort, or a task that is exceptionally easy. It is chiefly British and informal, usually said of an easy job, fee, or win rather than passive income in general. Informal British conversational register, often tinged with envy or self-deprecating humor. Regional use: British English.
Origin
A popular story ties the phrase to sailors selling worn-out rope as oakum for caulking wooden ships, but researchers reject this: the phrase is not found in print until the 1920s and 1930s (Word Histories cites the Hull Daily Mail of 15 February 1927 as an early example, and The Phrase Finder notes James Curtis's 1936 novel Gilt Kid), long after the age of sail; Admiral Smyth's Sailor's Word-Book omits it and Old Bailey records never use the full phrase. The more plausible account is that 'old rope', like 'jam' in the WWI-era British Army phrase 'money for jam', simply stood for something plentiful and nearly worthless, so being paid for it meant easy money.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- a real money-for-old-rope job
- like taking candy from a baby
- money for jam
Usage Examples
- Dog-sitting for the neighbours turned out to be money for old rope; the hound slept the whole weekend.
- He calls consultancy work money for old rope, but his reports take weeks to write.
- If the concert sells out, the merchandising alone will be money for old rope.