throw good money after bad

throw good money after bad

To try to recoup initial losses by spending more money on something. I thought I was saving money by buying a used bike, but I've thrown good money after bad spending so much on repairs. Instead of cutting corners on the project and then having to throw good money after bad to try to bring it up to snuff, why don't you just invest the appropriate time and money from the get-go.See also: after, bad, good, money, throw

throw good money after bad

Fig. to waste additional money after wasting money once. I bought a used car and then had to spend $300 on repairs. That was throwing good money after bad. The Browns are always throwing good money after bad. They bought an acre of land that turned out to be swamp, and then had to pay to have it filled in.See also: after, bad, good, money, throw

throw good money after bad

Waste more money in hopes of recouping previous losses, as in Hiring him to improve that software is throwing good money after bad; it's based on an older operating system and will soon be obsolete . [Late 1800s] See also: after, bad, good, money, throw

throw good money after bad

If someone throws good money after bad, they spend more money on something that they have already spent money on in an attempt to make it succeed, even though this is unlikely. Putting yet more money into the school is just throwing good money after bad — they should just close it down and start again. Note: Other verbs are sometimes used instead of throw, for example pour and chuck. To provide more cash when no changes have been made to the faulty system would be to pour good money after bad.See also: after, bad, good, money, throw

throw good money after bad

incur further loss in a hopeless attempt to recoup a previous loss.See also: after, bad, good, money, throw

throw ˌgood money after ˈbad

(disapproving) spend more money in an attempt to get back the money which has been lost, although this is unlikely to be successful: The Government was throwing good money after bad by investing money in industries that would never make a profit.See also: after, bad, good, money, throw

throw good money after bad, to

To continue wasting resources on a hopeless project. Although the idea is much older, the expression appeared only in the nineteenth century. “If they would . . . start free, instead of sending good money after bad—how much happier would be this world of ours!” wrote James Payn (The Canon’s Ward, 1884).See also: after, good, money, throw