English around the world: to pony up

In diesem Beitrag aus unserer Rubrik „English around the world“ stellen wir dieses Mal den Ausdruck „to pony up“ aus den USA vor, der tatsächlich nichts mit Pferden zu tun hat.

By Carol Richards

“To pony up”

USA

This little idiom has nothing to do with “To pony up” means to pay a debt or money to someone. The origin of the idiom is unknown, but it is most commonly used in American English. The British would use the idiom “to stump up”, which also means to make a payment but has a slight nuance of unwillingness. If someone owes you money, you can tell him to pony up. If he doesn’t pay you, take his pony as payment.