Talk:ore

A figurative sense: money, or similar?

Is this a one-off figurative usage, or might there be others? It certainly doesn't refer to rock. Equinox ◑ 22:44, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

• 1753, Edward Moore, The Gamester

  These are the despondings of men without money; but let the shining ore chink in the pocket, and folly turns to wisdom.

Merriam-Webster has an extended/figurative sense for any material from which something valuable is extracted, but I think that's to cover references to ideas being mined from mental ore, etc. The use above almost seems to mean or (“gold”), or to confuse ore with the valuable shining things extracted from it. - -sche (discuss) 08:55, 21 May 2020 (UTC)