put one's money where one's mouth is

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

put one's money where one's mouth is (third-person singular simple present puts one's money where one's mouth is, present participle putting one's money where one's mouth is, simple past and past participle put one's money where one's mouth was)

1. To make or take a bet.
2. (idiomatic) To take an obvious stake in the truth of a claim that one is making.
   • 2011 September 23, Jason Palmer, “Light speed: Flying into fantasy”, in BBC News‎^[1]:

     "The scientists are right to be extremely cautious about interpreting these findings," said Jim Al-Khalili, a physicist from the University of Surrey, who suggested that a simple error in the measurement is probably the source of all the fuss..."So let me put my money where my mouth is: if the Cern experiment proves to be correct and neutrinos have broken the speed of light, I will eat my boxer shorts on live TV."

   • 2020 January 2, Graeme Pickering, “Fuelling the changes on Teesside rails”, in Rail, page 61:

     "We've put money towards it and it's up to government to put the money where its mouth is."

See also

• put up or shut up
• talk is cheap
• write checks one can't cash

References

• “put one's money where one's mouth is”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.