The meaning of “cash on the barrelhead” is immediate payment in cash, without any credit or delay. The phrase is an American idiom that originated from the custom of using barrel tops as tables in bars, where customers had to pay for their drinks on the spot, literally putting their money on the head of a barrel. The British equivalent of this expression is “cash on the nail”.
Some examples of using this phrase in a sentence are:
- They won’t extend credit; it’s cash on the barrelhead or no sale.
- Customers usually pay cash on the barrelhead, so bad debts aren’t much of a problem.
- He wanted cash on the barrel for his old car, so I had to go to the bank and withdraw some money.
