on the barrelhead

== English == === Etymology === On the American frontier, barrels were employed as desks or tables with which to conduct transactions. === Pronunciation === === Noun === cash on the barrelhead (uncountable) (US, idiomatic) Money in the form of paper currency or coins, paid immediately at the time and place of a transaction: cash only (no credit), and at the point of sale. Synonyms: cold cash, hard cash, cold hard cash (all have a synonymous sense) 1947 March 31, Foreign Relations: Potent Weapon, Time: [I]n 1946 the U.S. exported $2,166 million worth of food. . . . Most of this ($1,354 million) was paid for, cash on the barrelhead. But $628 million was the U.S. contribution to UNRRA stocks, and $184 million went through Lend-Lease. ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== ==== See also ==== === References === “cash on the barrelhead”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.