{"id":8664,"date":"2021-01-11T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plainenglish.com\/?post_type=expressions&p=8664"},"modified":"2024-11-20T23:15:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T05:15:57","slug":"cash-in-on","status":"publish","type":"expressions","link":"https:\/\/plainenglish.com\/expressions\/cash-in-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Cash in on"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cash in on<\/h3>\n

Today we\u2019re going to talk about the English phrase \u201ccash in on.\u201d To cash in on something is to make money off something, usually after a period of waiting <\/span>. In today\u2019s lesson, we were talking about movie studios. They make money off ticket sales <\/span> in theaters, but they also make money from streaming, discs, and video on demand. Studios have an agreement with exhibitors <\/span> to release the movie exclusively in theaters <\/span> for a few months.<\/p>\n

This suits both sides <\/span>. But you can imagine that studios are anxious to <\/span> cash in on streaming rights as soon as possible. Studios are anxious to make money off streaming as soon as possible. Think about it: the studio went to all the trouble <\/span> to finance and produce the movie. They released it to theaters and it had a good run. Now they have to wait before they can make any money off downloads or streaming. How would you feel in that situation? Studios don\u2019t love waiting. They want to cash in on streaming rights as soon as possible. They want to make money from streaming rights as soon as possible. And remember, this is after a period of waiting.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m reading a book right now called \u201cNo Filter.\u201d It\u2019s about the history of Instagram. Kevin Systrom founded <\/span> Instagram in 2010 and worked hard at it for a couple of years. He cashed in on his business when he sold it to Facebook for an eye-popping <\/span> $1 billion in 2012. In business terms, that was a relatively short waiting period. But he really cashed in with that sale.<\/p>\n

Other business owners have to wait much longer to cash in on their businesses like that. A common side business in the US is to own rental houses <\/span> or small apartment buildings <\/span>. A lot of homes and apartments for rent <\/span> are owned by individuals, families or very small businesses. After years of managing rental properties <\/span>, the owners may decide to cash in on their properties and sell them to bigger companies.<\/p>\n

A person can cash in on his or her popularity <\/span>. I mentioned the book about Instagram. It tells the story of how Kim Kardashian cashed in on her popularity by selling a line of beauty products <\/span>. An Olympic athlete might cash in on his or her popularity by appearing in a lot of TV commercials. Simone Bailes is in a commercial for UberEats now. She\u2019s cashing in on her popularity ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo.<\/p>\n

Sometimes \u201ccash in on\u201d can sound negative. In the examples I\u2019ve given, there\u2019s nothing wrong or unethical <\/span> with what the people or companies do. Selling a business, making money on movies, appearing in commercials, selling products on Instagram: you might not love the Kardashians, but there\u2019s nothing wrong with <\/span> cashing in the way I\u2019ve described it so far.<\/p>\n

But other times, \u201ccash in on\u201d can be unethical or, at least, it leaves you with a bad feeling <\/span>. A popular politician might retire <\/span> and cash in on his connections <\/span> by becoming a lobbyist <\/span> or giving high-paid speeches. Someone close to a celebrity <\/span> might cash in on their connections by selling a story or photograph to a magazine. That\u2019s a great example of \u201ccash in on\u201d in a negative way. Tabloid magazines <\/span> are full of stories from celebrities\u2019 gardeners <\/span>, in-laws <\/span>, friends from home, all cashing in on their access to or stories about the celebrity. That\u2019s making money from a breach of trust <\/span>. And in that sense, \u201ccash in on\u201d is not ethical.<\/p>\n

Quote of the Week<\/h3>\n

Today\u2019s quote of the week is by Walter Elias Disney. He lived from 1901 to 1966 and his eponymous <\/span> company endures <\/span> and is charging into <\/span> the streaming economy with Disney+. Here\u2019s the quote: \u201cThe way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have always liked that quote and I was reminded of it when reading about Disney+ and the way they are ramping up their content creation <\/span> to match Netflix over the next few years. Disney is not passively waiting <\/span> to see what streaming will do to them, as a studio. They are charging ahead with their own platform <\/span>, which is already a smashing success <\/span>. The company today seemed to take the advice of their namesake, Walt Disney, when he said: \u201cThe way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

See you next time!<\/h3>\n

And that brings us to the end of today\u2019s lesson. Do you like the window? I\u2019ll tell you one good thing the window does. It funnels <\/span> everyone into the theater and everyone watches the same handful of movies <\/span>, so you always have something to talk about with strangers <\/span>. You\u2019re always aware of the same handful of movies and you\u2019ve probably seen one or two in common. Streaming is different: there\u2019s so much. Each person finds the best show or movie for him or her, but we lose that common playlist of movies when there\u2019s so much to choose from <\/span>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying I love the small selection. I\u2019m just saying that\u2019s a benefit. So let me know what you think about all this in our Facebook group, which you can join at PlainEnglish.com\/Facebook.<\/p>\n

And remember there are lots of additional resources online at PlainEnglish.com\/328. Every lesson has a full English transcript, completely free. And for those of you who are Plus+ members, we have translations, step-by-step video lessons, exercises, and much more. All that at PlainEnglish.com\/328.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To \u201ccash in on\u201d something is to make money off something, usually after a period of waiting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":8665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"terminology_category":[139],"lesson_number":[1057],"keywords":[1059,708,138],"content_tag":[],"level":[],"class_list":["post-8664","expressions","type-expressions","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","terminology_category-expression","lesson_number-1057","keywords-cash","keywords-in","keywords-on"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCash in on | English phrase definition | Free online lessons with examples<\/title>\n <!-- Mirrored from plainenglish.com/wp-json/wp/v2/expressions/8664 by HTTrack Website Copier/3.x [XR&CO'2014], Mon, 09 Jun 2025 17:56:59 GMT --> <!-- Added by HTTrack --><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /><!-- /Added by HTTrack --> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"To \u201ccash in on\u201d something is to make money off something, usually after a period of waiting. 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