pony up
pony up (idiom)
/ˈpoʊni ʌp/
Meaning
- To pay money that is owed or required, especially when one is reluctant to do so.
- To settle a debt or fulfill a financial obligation, often in response to a demand or expectation
- To contribute funds, particularly in situations where payment is necessary to proceed.
- To hand over money, sometimes unwillingly, to meet a financial commitment.
Example Sentences
- After a long argument, he finally ponied up the cash for the group dinner.
- They had to pony up the money before the repairs could begin.
- The company refused to pony up until the contract was finalized.
- She had no choice but to pony up the funds for her son’s tuition.
- Everyone was expected to pony up their share for the surprise gift.
Origin and History
The phrase “pony up,” meaning to pay or settle a debt, first appeared in print in May 1819 in The Rural Magazine and Farmer’s Monthly Museum, a publication from Hartford, Connecticut. The excerpt reads:
“The afternoon, before the evening, the favoured gentlemen are walking rapidly into the merchant-tailors shops, and very slowly out, unless they ponied up the Spanish [the money].”
This suggests that the term was already in colloquial use in the United States by the early 19th century.
American Origins
Given its earliest known usage in an American publication, it’s widely believed that “pony up” originated in the United States. The phrase was commonly used in American slang to mean paying a debt or dues. For instance, an 1824 issue of The Microscope from Albany, New York, includes the line:
“I’ve heard as how he’d like to have drowned a man once, ‘fore he could make him poney up.”
This reinforces the term’s American roots and its association with settling debts.
British Usage and Slang
While “pony up” is predominantly American, there is evidence of similar usage in British slang. In Thomas Darlington’s 1887 Folk-speech of South Cheshire, “pony” is defined as a slang term for paying, as in “to pony out” meaning “to stump out.” Additionally, in British slang, “pony” has been used to denote a sum of twenty-five pounds, dating back to at least 1797. However, this specific monetary reference seems too precise to account for the broader usage of “pony up” in various financial contexts.
The “Legem Pone” Theory
One theory suggests that “pony up” derives from the Latin phrase “legem pone,” the title of the fifth division of Psalm 119. In 16th-century England, March 25th, known as Lady Day, was a quarter day when debts were traditionally settled. The association of “legem pone” with payment led to its use as a term for paying money. Thomas Tusser’s 1570 work Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandry includes the line:
“Use Legem pone to pay at thy day.”
Some etymologists speculate that “pony up” may have evolved from “legem pone,” possibly through phonetic corruption over time. However, this connection remains speculative and lacks definitive evidence.
Alternative Theories
Another proposed origin links “pony up” to the German verb “poniren,” meaning “to pay.” This theory suggests a linguistic borrowing, but there’s limited evidence to support a direct connection between “poniren” and “pony up.”
Additionally, some have drawn parallels between “pony up” and the Spanish word “póngale,” meaning “put it down,” which relates to contributing money. However, this connection is more speculative and less substantiated than other theories.
Synonyms
Variants
- pony it up
- pony up the money
- pony up the cash
- pony up the dough
- pony up the funds
- pony up your share
About the Author
Elena Jones holds a PhD in Education from Harvard University. She has extensive experience teaching at both the K–12 and university levels, with a particular focus on English as a Second Language. Elena has dedicated her career to advancing educational practices, and she has contributed to numerous educational journals.
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