pony up

US early-19th century.[1] Probably from the monetary sense of pony.[1]

pony up (third-person singular simple present ponies up, present participle ponying up, simple past and past participle ponied up)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To pay (usually a bill, debt or due).
   • 1824 September 1, “Paunch Hogabout”, in The Atlantic Magazine, volume 1, number 5, page 343:

     Every man, save Silvy, vociferously swore that he had ponied up his "quarter:" whereupon the landlady observed that Silvy the less had not paid his reckoning.

   • 1944 February 7, War Advertising Council, “Advert”, in Life, volume 16, number 6, page 123:

     Know what I'd do with that dough ... if I'd the luck to have it?¶ I'd buy War Bonds—and, God, would I hang onto them! (Bonds buy guns—and give you four bucks for your three) ... I'd pony up for taxes cheerfully (knowing they're the cheapest way to pay for this war) ... I'd sock some in the savings bank, while I could ... I'd lift a load off my mind with more life insurance.

   • 1992 July/August, “Naked City”, in Spy, page 18:

     If entertaining TV blusterer John McLaughlin felt any contrition after ponying up a six-figure sum to settle a sexual-harassment suit in 1989, he is evidently over it.

   • 2009 January 25, Frank Rich, “No Time for Poetry”, in New York Times‎:

     Only then did we learn that he doled out billions in secret, last-minute bonuses to his staff last month, just before Bank of America took over and just before the government ponied up a second bailout to cover Merrill’s unexpected $15 billion fourth-quarter loss.

• (to pay): cough up, foot the bill, fork out, fork over, pay up, shell out, stump up