Ponying Up vs. Coughing Up vs. Paying Through the Nose



If you’ve ever owed someone money, you might have been told to “pony up.” That could lead to you “coughing up” some hard-to-come-by cash, leaving you feeling as though you were “paying through the nose.” So, what’s the difference between all these phrases? The phrase “pony up” has its roots in the Bible, where in Psalm 119:5 the Latin Legem pone mihi, Domine, viam justificationum tuarum is translated to "Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes.” Legem pone literally means “money down.” Ponying up, however, should not be confused with “coughing up cash,” which dates back to the 1800s and means “to pay with some reluctance or difficulty.” One might also cough up information. Pay through the nose has a slightly more colorful history. It arose in 9th century Denmark, when Danes supposedly extracted delinquent taxes from the Irish by slitting the noses of deadbeats. So, if somebody tells you that you need to “pony up” by “coughing up” some cash, you may wind up “paying through the nose.”