Idiom 'Cash Cow'
source: Twominute English 2013年7月19日
A "cash cow" is something that generates a huge source of income or profit, which requires a very little investment for its maintenance. It is an idiom meaning an easy and dependable source of income.
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0:06 In this lesson you will learn about the idiom 'cash cow' and how to use it in your conversations.
0:17 Sally, do you know what the idiom 'cash cow' means?
0:22 Yes Jim, a cash cow is a source of easy and continuous profit.
0:29 Correct. A 'cash cow' may be a product, a business or an organization which needs a very small amount of maintenance cost to run,
0:38 compared to the huge profit or income it generates.
0:42 For example, Windows is the cash cow that made Microsoft a huge company.
0:48 You are right, Sally. Microsoft is making a huge amount of money from the Windows product; it's their cash cow.
0:57 A cash cow may be anything which is a dependable source of income with its large and steady cash flow.
1:05 Here's another example: Mr. Smith's barren piece of land became his cash cow after oil was discovered there.
1:13 Thank you Sally. Let's listen to some conversations now.
1:23 Suzanne told me that the new product would become a cash cow.
1:28 Sure, it's already taking off in the market.
1:31 Mr. Brown's ideas are brilliant! He should have been made the CEO years ago.
1:37 Right! His new idea is the company's new cash cow.
1:47 The government approved mining in Sparrow Island.
1:51 That's a good decision for some people. It'll prove to be a cash cow soon for the people who own the land.
1:57 I doubt that! There's a strong protest against it going on.
2:03 Yeah, they fear that the mining will destroy the ecosystem.
2:13 The next Olympics will cost a lot of money to organize.
2:17 Yeah, but it will be a cash cow for the city that hosts them.
2:22 I'm not so sure. I've heard they cost more to host than they bring in.
2:27 Well, at least it will be a cash cow for the merchants in that area.
2:32 Yeah! For them it'll be a real boon!
2:38 Windows is the cash cow that made Microsoft a huge company.
2:48 Suzanne told me that the new product would become a cash cow.
2:57 His new idea is the company's new cash cow.
3:07 It'll prove to be a cash cow soon for the people who own the land.
3:17 Yeah, but it will be a cash cow for the city that hosts them.
3:28 Well, at least it will be a cash cow for the merchants in that area.
