Looking for an idiom "Has a lot of currency"...

[weytec]

Hi, I am looking for an english idiom which I can only partly remember...
"Has a lot of currency..." or "has currency", meaning that something has a lot of value.
Does anyone know the idiom I have in mind, and can you tell me the correct idiom?
Thank you!

 

[Matthew Wai]

Do you mean http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/currency Definition#2 ?

Not a teacher.

 

[Raymott]

This bit is another piece of nonsense by Longman, in my opinion:
"!! Do not say 'pay by cash'. Say pay in cash." Of course, you can say "pay in cash" if you choose that form, just as you can say "pay by cash".

 

[weytec]

Thanks for your responses...
Longman comes close to what I was thinking of:
currency = "the state of being accepted or used by a lot of people"

But I dont think I can use the word the way I wanted to....

 

[Matthew Wai]

meaning that something has a lot of value.

Why not simply say 'valuable'?

Not a teacher.

 

[BillHaverberg]

(Native speaker of American English)

Either someone has a lot of money, or something is worth a lot of money. Idioms for one do not fit very well for the other.

Also, someone may be temporarily with a lot of money ("flush", "got a windfall", "has some spending money", "doing good right now", "got my refund" [refund check from annual taxes]), or they may be rich ("loaded", "set for life", "wealthy", "doing very well", "comfortable").

If it is an item which is worth a lot of money, it is expensive or valuable, and can be modified to indicate to what extent "slightly", "very", etc).

 

[Matthew Wai]

meaning that something has a lot of value

Can it be called an asset?

 

[Tdol]

It could be, though an asset doesn't have to have great value.

 

[BillHaverberg]

Can it be called an asset?

An asset is merely a business term for any item used for the business, such as vehicles, computers, desks, wastebaskets, staplers...

However, when applied to a person, the usage is informal and can be a form of a compliment, although it is not normally used outside the workplace: "He is an asset to the team" means the person contributes meaningfully to the team or workplace.

Calling your wife or girlfriend an asset might get your face slapped, however, because they could interpret it as being "an object which is owned". But it could also be interpreted as "someone who helps my life in a meaningful way" by providing essential support beyond what a wife or girlfriend is normally expected to provide because of the outstanding strength of their character and intelligence, by helping their partner become more successful in life. It can be used by either gender. I would avoid this usage if you are still learning English, however.

 

[Matthew Wai]

meaning that something has a lot of value

when applied to a person

The OP said 'something' which should not apply to a person. Am I wrong?

Not a teacher.

 

[Tdol]

No, but I imagine BillHaverburg was widening the scope of the discussion a bit.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Saying "has a lot of currency" is awkward and can be confusing.

You might mean "is up to date" or "is current" or "is popular" or "is currently in style."

Or you might mean "has a lot of money" or "is rich" or "is wealthy."