follow the money en · VERB
Etymology
Popularized in the film All the President's Men (1976).
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To analyze money flows in order to uncover corruption or other criminal activities.
His success in tackling and convicting members of Cosa Nostra was by following the money; this is the only way leading members of organised crime syndicates will ever be convicted.
2018 April 29, Aubrey A Jones, “Letters: beat fraud: follow the money”, in The Guardian:Then follow the money: We know that President Bashar Assad turned an ophthalmologist's blind eye to Saddam's use of the Syrian port of Tartus to import missile fuel components from China and night-vision goggles from Russia.
2003 April 21, William Safire, “Follow the Money”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:No, I have to do this my way. You tell me what you know, and I'll confirm. I'll keep you in the right direction if I can, but that's all. Just… follow the money.
1976, William Goldman, All the President's Men, spoken by Deep Throat:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| follows the money | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| followed the money | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| followed the money | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| following the money | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |