short money: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Formal, Technical (Political/Administrative)
Quick answer
What does “short money” mean?
A statutory grant or annual allowance paid by the UK government to the official opposition parties in Parliament to help fund their parliamentary work.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A statutory grant or annual allowance paid by the UK government to the official opposition parties in Parliament to help fund their parliamentary work.
In practice, it refers to public funding for opposition parliamentary business, covering costs like research and administrative support not covered by other allowances.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is exclusively used in the context of UK politics and parliamentary systems modelled on it (e.g., Canada has a similar 'Short Money' concept). The term is not used in American political discourse, where similar funding mechanisms have different names (e.g., funding for party conventions or presidential transition).
Connotations
In the UK, it has neutral-to-positive connotations of supporting democratic functions. In the US, the term is largely unknown and carries no specific connotation.
Frequency
High frequency in UK political journalism, parliamentary reports, and academic texts on British politics. Extremely low to zero frequency in general American English.
Grammar
How to Use “short money” in a Sentence
[Party/Group] receives/gets short money.The amount of short money is set by...Short money is used for...Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “short money” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The short-money allocation was debated fiercely.
- They reviewed the short-money formula.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not applicable. Not used in standard business contexts.
Academic
Used in political science, public administration, and UK constitutional studies texts.
Everyday
Rarely used in everyday conversation except when discussing UK politics in detail.
Technical
Core term in UK parliamentary procedure and political journalism.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “short money”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “short money”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “short money”
- Using it as a plural (e.g., 'short monies').
- Capitalising it incorrectly (it is not typically capitalised except at the start of a sentence).
- Using it to refer to any small amount of money or a short-term loan.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Short money is paid to opposition parties as organisations to fund their parliamentary work. MPs' salaries (and other allowances) are paid to individual MPs regardless of party.
No. Short money is specifically for opposition parties. The governing party has the resources of the civil service at its disposal.
It is named after Edward Short (later Lord Glenamara), the Labour Leader of the House of Commons who introduced the scheme in 1975.
Yes. A similar scheme for opposition parties in the House of Lords is called 'Cranborne money', named after Lord Cranborne.
A statutory grant or annual allowance paid by the UK government to the official opposition parties in Parliament to help fund their parliamentary work.
Short money is usually formal, technical (political/administrative) in register.
Short money: in British English it is pronounced /ˈʃɔːt ˌmʌni/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈʃɔːrt ˌmʌni/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the SHORT time opposition parties have to prepare against the government, so they need SHORT MONEY for quick, sharp research.
Conceptual Metaphor
DEMOCRACY IS A FAIR CONTEST (the funding provides tools for the 'opposition team').
Practice
Quiz
What is 'short money' primarily used for?