to spare

Idioms & Phrases

to spare

In addition to what is needed, extra, left over, as in We paid our bills and still had money to spare. This expression uses spare in the sense of "leftover" or "unused," a usage dating from the late 1500s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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