the.com/outlay
Money that leaves your hand before the universe decides if it was worth it.
means The money you spend upfront on something, especially before you see any return on it.
from Straightforward English carpentry: 'out' plus 'lay,' meaning to lay out money — the same sense as laying out tools or a plan. It's been used for spending since around the 1500s-1600s, with the noun 'outlay' (the amount laid out) following a bit later. No hidden trick here — it's just money, laid outward, away from you.
- vs expense
- outlay is upfront cash, expense hits the books later
- business usage
- common in budgeting for initial capital spent
- etymology
- from laying out money, literally
- feeling
- always bigger than you estimated