Throw good money after bad

Throw good money after bad is an idiom. We will examine the meaning of the common idiom throw good money after bad, where it came from, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.

To throw good money after bad means to continue to spend money in order to recoup losses. The idiom refers to bad money, which is money that was wasted on a bad investment, shoddy merchandise, or a swindle. Good money is money that the speaker still has in his possession and has not wasted. The idiom is usually expressed as an admonishment: don’t throw good money after bad. It is also be used as an observation: one is throwing good money after bad. The idea is that merely expending more money will not fix a problem. The expression came into use in the mid-1700s. Related phrases are throws good money after bad, threw good money after bad, throwing good money after bad.

Examples

I don’t support Marin Supervisor Damon Connolly’s compromise — why throw good money after bad — and I believe the third lane should be returned to vehicular traffic. (Marin Independent Journal)

Militarizing the IRS without scrutinizing its history of racially disparate enforcement would throw good money after bad. (New York Daily News)

As the market drops precipitously, it may seem like you are throwing good money after bad to keep contributing a percentage of your income to a 401(k) or a similar workplace retirement plan when you have an urgent need for cash.  (Reuters)