Okay, so I was messing around with the NYT crossword, as one does, and I stumbled upon this phrase “pony up.” I’d heard it before, sure, but I wasn’t totally sure what it meant in every context. So, I decided to dig in.
First, I checked the crossword clue itself. You know, sometimes they give you a little hint. Nope, nothing too revealing this time. Just something vague about settling a debt.
Next, I went straight to the source – the NYT! I figured they use the phrase correctly, right? It’s the NYT! So, I browsed through the articles, and did search after search, looking for example usages.
My Little Research Journey
- I started simple. Just typed “pony up” into the search bar. Boom! Tons of articles popped up.
- Then, I started skimming. I wasn’t gonna read every single article, who has time for that? I was just looking for how they used the phrase.
- I noticed it mostly popped up in articles about business, finance, or politics. Makes sense, I guess. Something about paying money or taking responsibility.
After spending a good chunk of time, I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on it. “Pony up” basically means to pay what you owe, or to step up and take responsibility for something. It’s like, “Hey, you gotta pony up the cash for those concert tickets you promised!” or “The company had to pony up a huge settlement after the lawsuit.”
So yeah, that’s my little adventure with “pony up.” Not exactly earth-shattering, but hey, I learned something new, and I confirmed the definition to slove my puzzle. Always good to expand the vocabulary, right?
