licence to print money

noun

A means of generating a large income with little effort.

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Meanings

nounlicence to print money (plural licences to print money)

plural licences to print money · alternative US license to print money

  1. colloquialidiomaticA means of generating a large income with little effort.

    Owning a machine tool plant, it was said, was almost as good as a license to print money.

    1953, United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance, Buford Rowland, William B. Boyd, U.S. Navy Bureau of Ordnance in World War II
    2 more examples

    the rather casual remark of Lord Thomson, referring to his holding in Scottish Television, that the television contract was 'a licence to print money' was much quoted

    1960, Institute of Economic Affairs (Great Britain), Hobart papers

    More competition means ITV's glory days are long gone - and the new company's bosses know they will have to fight hard to regain the old licence to print money.

    2003 October 1, BBC News, “ITV: From Take Your Pick to Popstars”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see licence, to, print, money.

Origin

Often attributed to Lew Grade, and notably used by Roy Thompson of Scottish Television around 1956.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Gelddruckmaschine
  • Gelddruckmaschinemeans of generating large income
Cite this entry
APA

licence to print money. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/licence%20to%20print%20money

MLA

“licence to print money.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/licence%20to%20print%20money. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “licence to print money,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/licence%20to%20print%20money.

Source: licence to print money on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.