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. 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. ==== Translations ==== === See also === cold cash cash and carry cash on the line on the drum on the nail === References === “cash on the barrelhead”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.