pay peanuts

pay peanuts

To pay (someone) a very paltry or minuscule amount; to pay the absolute minimum amount necessary. A noun or pronoun can be used between "pay" and "peanuts." I had a few jobs during college getting paid peanuts, but it was the only work I could find that fit in with my studies. You're never going to be able to hire an effective manager if you're only willing to pay them peanuts.
See also: pay, peanut
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • birdseed
  • chicken feed
  • come to much
  • for chicken feed
  • for peanuts
  • peanut
  • at the very least
  • at the least
  • plus interest
  • if that
References in periodicals archive
Traders in Murang'a County have accused Governor Mwangi Wa Iria's administration of failing to regulate the mushrooming of the hawkers and vendors in Murang'a and Mukuyu towns, saying that they are a threat to their businesses.The traders said that despite paying huge levies to the county government, the hawkers, who pay peanuts to the county government, have given them unfair and unhealthy competition by establishing similar businesses outside their business premises.
It just goes to show - when you don't pay peanuts you still get monkeys.
If you pay peanuts, you don't even deserve monkeys.
Remember what you get when you pay peanuts? Monkeys.
We have heard it before: 'If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.'
3" I once rode her mother" Ted Walsh 4 If you pay peanuts you get Monkees - Journalist Peter Corrigan when former pop star Davy Jones won a race worth PS3,000 5 Horses are dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle Des Lynam THE move to switch the Grand National to a later time of 5.15pm isn't a good decision.
Living in a greedy world IN a letter to Feedback John Appleyard manages to mangle the metaphor relating to peanuts and monkeys which I have always understood to read "if you pay peanuts you get monkeys" not "if you want peanuts you get monkeys."
Don't expect world class service if you pay peanuts for air travel.
As always, pay peanuts, get monkeys, or - in the case of social media - get social media activities that do not match the quality and personality of your hotel.
To quote the old adage, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Out-of-touch politicians are the potential product of low turnouts in elections, a variation on the old adage 'Pay peanuts, get monkeys'.
Randy Lerner has to take part of the blame as all he wants is to pay peanuts for players.
So we're subsiding employers who pay peanuts and will continue to do so unless the living wage is brought in.
"You pay peanuts, you get monkeys" is a production expression as old as production itself and, arguably, as much an excuse for a jobsworth as it is common sense.
But it's publicity any sane individual or organisation wouldn't even want to pay peanuts for.