pick up the tab
(intransitive, idiomatic, chiefly, US) To accept a bill and pay it, especially at a bar or restaurant.
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55% of Americans say their day-to-day finances are getting worse. Trump’s answer? Make taxpayers fund his $1B gold-plated ballroom after promising that his billionaire allies and corporate donors would pick up the tab.
I'm sure our AI overlords could afford to pick up the tab.
So if we pick up the tab, do the rich donors get their money back, or does it all just go to DJT?
Definitions
(intransitive, idiomatic, chiefly, US) To accept a bill and pay it, especially at a bar or restaurant.
When the bill came to just 33,000 forints, I did something very out of character: I picked up the tab. It blew the budget for the day, but felt great.
“55% of Americans say their day-to-day finances are getting worse. Trump’s answer? Make taxpayers fund his $1B gold-plated ballroom after promising that his billionaire allies and corporate donors would pick up the tab.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I'm sure our AI overlords could afford to pick up the tab.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“So if we pick up the tab, do the rich donors get their money back, or does it all just go to DJT?”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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