Hit in the pocket?

Reader question:

Please explain “hit in the pocket” in this sentence: The minimum fine is set to double to $100, and those who drop litter would be hit in the pocket.

My comments:

This is a little complicated, but let me explain.

The pocket is where we keep our wallet. Or if you don’t have a wallet, the pocket is where you keep cash, bills and coins.

Or, at least, this is what it used to be.

In the old days, before the advent of the smartphone and electronic money transfer, people kept a wallet or cash in the pocket. So the pocket is where our money is or was kept.

To get hit in the pocket, therefore, is to get hit where our money is. In the case in our above example, to get hit with a fine of $100 means we have to pay a price or $100. That means we will lose $100.

$100 is a lot of money. Losing that amount of money hurts. It hurts some worse than others. To those of us poorer folks, it’ll like being hit in the stomach in the physical sense. It’s visceral. We feel the pain.

That $100 fine is for doing the wrong thing, of course – of dropping litter, such as a cigarette butt on the street.

Anyways, getting hit in the pocket means paying a price, losing money and getting hurt in the monetary sense, i.e. financially, fiscally.

We can also “hit someone in the pocket” and that means the same thing – to hurt them this way.

All clear?

Like I said, getting hit in the pocket sounds complex, but the idea is pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

For further enlightenment, let’s read a few media examples:

1. As Singapore moves ahead with its eco-friendly drive, have we overlooked how much electricity we are using, especially from lighting?

Are we guilty of light pollution?

Lights have proliferated unchecked along pavements, covered walkways, bridges, corridors, stairways, and in bus stops, car parks, lifts, void decks, playgrounds and parks.

When night falls, human and vehicular traffic is low in many of these places. Given our low crime rate, do we need to keep all places well-lit to prevent crime?

Is this an unintended consequence of various agencies failing to coordinate their plans and installation work, resulting in overlap and waste?

Since it does not hit us in the pocket directly, few among us would mind the extra bulb or two. But ultimately, we, the taxpayers, foot the bill.

Just as noise affects our sleep, so too does light.

Based on scientific studies, light keeps us awake, and may affect our biological clock that oscillates between day and night. When deprived of restful sleep, our quality of life suffers. We may turn grumpy and foggy, and lose concentration, which could result in accidents. Excessive glare also retards our reflexes.

Light generates heat, too. While we worry about air-conditioners warming the earth, how could we ignore the heat generated by lights? We may need more air-conditioners to cool a larger number of lit indoor spaces. This results in more heat all around.

Is vanity to blame – the need for grandeur as a people, to prove that we have arrived as a developed country? Or that we can be seen from space, like a gemstone emanating rays in all directions?

Excessive light is wasteful and may harm us. It is time we threw light and took action on the matter.

- Why does Singapore need so many lights on? TodayOnline.com, December 19, 2019.

2. Football fans are set to be hit in the pocket at Super Bowl LIV, with a salad costing an eye-watering ￡80 and a single beer priced at ￡13. The 59th NFL finale, which is a rematch of the game two years ago between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, will take place on Sunday.

The current champions are on the brink of making league history by securing three consecutive titles, but they’ll have to defeat their old rivals to do so. The much-anticipated clash is being held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, which has a capacity of over 76,000.

On top of the costly tickets that could set fans back thousands of pounds, the prices for refreshments at the lavish stadium are nothing short of astronomical. The Superdome, home to the New Orleans Saints, is one of the NFL stadiums with the most expensive concession stands, with a hot dog and beer combo costing fans ￡15.33.

A large domestic beer on the Superdome concourse will cost ￡13, while those opting for a premium cocktail like a Bayou Strawberry Daiquiri or a Frozen Irish Coffee will have to fork out an even heftier ￡15.33. Fans looking to quench their thirst will find themselves nearly ￡16.15 poorer after buying a beer.

However, there’s some respite with slightly cheaper food options available, with wings and hotdogs priced at just ￡3.23, while a slice of pizza will set you back ￡10.50, reports The Mirror US.

The menu prices are sky-high, with a Caprese Crab Salad costing an eye-watering ￡80.74, a basket of Garden Fresh Crudites priced at a steep ￡64.59, and dirty rice – a Louisiana Creole dish made with white rice and small pieces of pork, beef or chicken – setting you back a hefty ￡60.55.

- Super Bowl food and drink extortionate prices range from ￡80 salads to ￡60 rice dishes, Express.co.uk, February 10, 2025.

3. BBC viewers could be hit in the pocket by Donald Trump's aggressive policy to bolster Hollywood, with ministers being warned of possible repercussions. There’s concern in Westminster about the US President’s suggestion of slapping a 100% tariff on all foreign-produced films and TV shows.

This potential move could seriously harm BBC Studios – the corporation’s money-making wing that banked ￡454million from its American audience last year, with the USA being a crucial source of money. Shows like Doctor Who and Frozen Planet are huge across the pond, but it’s not yet clear if these tariffs would impact only the big screen or the telly side of things as well. MPs believe the effect on the BBC’s wallet might be dire, with the licence fee cash already getting thinner. One expert has said that could mean a move away from the licence fee to a “different model”.

The Conservative Shadow Culture Secretary Stuart Andrew voiced his concern in the House of Commons, pressing the government for clarity: “What assessment have they made on the potential drastic cut in the BBC Studios profits, that sells into the US market, could have on the licence fee?”

Brit households might have to pay more to keep their current services going as fewer people splash out on licences and more make the jump to streaming giants like Netflix. Culture Minister Sir Chris Bryant said the government was “already in active discussions with the top of the US administration on this subject”.

BBC Studios raked in more than ￡1.8billion globally last year, a dip from ￡2.1billion the previous year – highlighting the broadcaster’s increasing dependence on overseas sales to bolster domestic services. When asked about how the broadcaster might fill the void if US sales plummet, the BBC declined to comment.

- BBC licence fee ‘could be scrapped’ due to Trump’s Hollywood protectionist tariffs, Mirror.co.uk, May 8, 2025.

本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）