1.
money-making scheme; get-rich proposition
A proposal or tip presented as an easy way to make money. Usually carries a note of suspicion — the word most often appears in warnings about scams.
Composed of 儲ける (to make a profit) + 話 (story, proposal), with the sequential voicing that turns はなし into ばなし in compounds.
Common collocations
- うまい儲け話: a too-good-to-be-true scheme
- 儲け話を持ちかける: to approach someone with a scheme
- 儲け話に乗る: to go along with a scheme
- 儲け話に飛びつく: to jump at a money-making offer
Usage
The phrase うまい儲け話はない ("there is no easy money") is a set warning, and police and banks use 儲け話 in fraud-prevention campaigns. Treating one as genuine usually needs an explicit qualifier such as 本当の.