money talks

19th century, from earlier forms such as gold speaks (1666, in full, “Man prates, but gold speaks.”), as translation from Italian by Giovanni Torriano, in Piazza Universale di Proverbi Italiani: or, A Common Place of Italian Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, 179.^[1]

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌn.i tɔːks/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌn.i tɔks/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌn.i tɑks/

money talks

1. Money or moneyed interests have power.
   • 1974 February 9, “Tufts Porno”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 33, page 2:

     He illustrated the fact of money talking in the case of Mrs. Rita Warren who successfully stopped the showing of 1001 Danish Delights in a local Norwell theatre, yet was promptly arrested when attempting the same picketing in front of the more profitable Ben Sack "57" theatre to stop the showing of The Exorcist.

   • 2014 April 25, Paul Krugman, “The Piketty Panic”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Money still talks — indeed, thanks in part to the Roberts court, it talks louder than ever. Still, ideas matter too, shaping both how we talk about society and, eventually, what we do.

Here talk is used metaphorically to mean “has actual effect, shows seriousness”, as in similar actions speak louder than words. Contrast with sense “empty words, without impact”, as in talk is cheap and talk the talk.

• money talks, bullshit walks
• money talks, merit walks

• almighty dollar
• actions speak louder than words
• talk is cheap
• talk the talk