pay

above your pay grade

1 above your level of professional responsibility.

2 beyond your sphere of knowledge or influence.

❷ 2003Washington Times Predicting the future of mankind is above my pay-grade.

the deuce to pay: seedeuce.

the devil to pay: seedevil.

it (always) pays to - it produces good results to do a particular thing.

2014New Zealand Herald Should Labour win this year's election, the package will be implemented progressively, the first stage not commencing until April 2016. It pays to read the fine print.

pay someone back in their own coin: seecoin.

pay a call go to the lavatory. dated, euphemistic

pay court to: seecourt.

pay its way (of an enterprise) earn enough to cover its costs.

pay lip service to something: seelip.

pay the piper pay the cost of an enterprise. informal

☞ This expression comes from the proverb he who pays the piper calls the tune, and is used with the implication that the person who has paid expects to be in control of whatever happens.

pay your respects make a polite visit to someone.

☞ A similar expression is pay your last respects, meaning 'show respect towards a dead person by attending their funeral'.

pay through the nose pay much more than a fair price. informal

1998Country Life We pay a lot of money for a fairly ordinary garment in order to advertise a name that is only well-known because we pay through the nose for the huge advertising budget.

pay your way meet all your expenses out of your own pocket.

rob Peter to pay Paul: seerob.

there will be hell to pay: seehell.

you pays your money and you takes your choice used to convey that there is little to choose between one alternative and another.

☞ Both pays and takes are non-standard, colloquial forms, retained from the original version of the saying in a Punch joke of 1846.