Meanings
plural long purses
- riches; wealth; significant financial resources
"[…]and as Mr. H., with his long purse and his willingness to receive hints, is no bad card in the game, he has been brought up to Abbotsford for a week; his taciturnity has long ago fled, and he is one of the most loquacious Borderers going. […]"
1951 February, Michael Robbins, “Sir Walter Scott and Two Early Railway Schemes”, in Railway Magazine, page 901 more example
He had now been there five years, and many prudent farmers did not hesitate to say that they hoped he had a long purse — for what between repairs, and new outbuildings, and stone fences, and drains, and improved stock, besides a run of company — there must be a terrible outlay of money.
1855, Azel Stevens Roe, A long look ahead; or, The first stroke and the last
Cite this entry
long purse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20purse
“long purse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20purse. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “long purse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/long%20purse.
Source: long purse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.