The English idiom “for my money” means “in my opinion” and is often used in conversation. Other idioms also use the allegory of currency to express opinions. The phrase should not be confused with “a race for your money” or “value for money.” Similar phrases include “my two cents” and “a penny for your thoughts.” Associating opinions with money is a classic idea in English-speaking societies, where wealth can influence someone’s opinion. These idioms have staying power but may seem old-fashioned to younger speakers.
The English idiom “for my money” is used to mean “in my opinion.” This substitution of currency for personal thought is not unique to the sentence. Other English idioms also use this allegory, which provides a conversational way to give people a personal opinion on an issue.
English speakers may use the phrase “for my money” at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle. For example, if someone says “for my money, that’s a bad move,” he’s expressing his opinion that someone else shouldn’t do something. The same speaker might as well say “that’s a bad move, for my money,” to express the same idea.
The phrase “for my money”, which means “in my opinion”, should not be confused with the English idiom “a ride for your money”. If someone gives someone a race for their money, the meaning is that that person is challenging another person in an activity or competition. There’s also another way to use the phrase “for my money,” which has a slightly different meaning. If an English speaker says, ‘I get a lot for my money’, the idea the speaker is trying to express is value for money, the idea of how much use someone has gotten out of something in relation to the money he paid.
A variety of similar phrases are also employed in modern English. Some, like the phrase “my two cents,” still use the idea of currency to express opinions. Similarly, when you ask for someone’s opinion, “a penny for your thoughts” is seen as a sentimental way to get an answer. Other new phrases are acronyms that rely on the internet for their origin. The acronym IMHO is often seen on the Internet. This acronym is the abbreviation of two alternative phrases: “in my humble opinion” or “in my honest opinion”.
In general, associating an opinion or thought with money seems like a classic idea in many English-speaking societies. In these countries and regions of the world, many implicitly understand that money is often linked to power or influence, where someone’s opinion may “matter” more because of wealth. For this reason, idioms like this have considerable staying power, although they may seem a bit old-fashioned to some younger English speakers and are more likely to occur in prose than in ordinary parlance.
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