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With my birthday coming up on June 17th, my father, as he always does, sent me a bit of money with the message “Here’s some mad money to enjoy the day.” He has used the term “mad money” to describe this kind of gift of spending money for as long as I can remember, but this time I got curious about the origin of this unusual expression and looked into it. This is what I found:
It is believed that the term “mad money” originated in the early 20th century when women were beginning to enter the workforce and gain more financial independence. At that time, it was considered unusual for a woman to have her own money and be able to spend it as she pleased. The idea behind “mad money” was that a woman would keep a small amount of cash hidden away from her husband or family members so she could use it if she needed to escape from an abusive or unhappy relationship.
Today, the meaning of “mad money” has evolved beyond its original purpose. It now refers to any extra cash that someone might keep on hand for unforeseen circumstances or impulsive purchases. Some people might keep mad money in case they need to make an emergency trip or if they want to treat themselves to something special without dipping into their regular budget.
(from CrossIdiomas.com)
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