First of all , the Congress every year has added a half percent to whatever recommendation the president and I have made for increased military pay. And, you know, over time, that adds up to real money.

Could you explain "real money"?

My comments:

Here, "real money" is a colloquialism that means "a lot of money".

From context, we infer that Congress has been increasing or trying to increase military pay over the years. A half percent increase this time, when considered alone, may not sound like much, but several such increases have been made over the years. Several such increases in a row, one on top another and when considered together, add up to a large amount.

In other words, it's serious money. It's for real.

Related stories:

Nodding acquaintance

Flip out over nothing

Bury the hatchet& have an ax to grind

Vocal proponent

Growing pains

Fleeting acquaintance

All-weather friend

Lead the pack

Fish or cut bait

Gilt-edged

To do more with less

Right down the middle

Take my word for it

40-sometimes

Last but not the least

Call it a dog

Pull my leg

Ego bath

Tough call

Rain check

Upper reaches

Off the shoulders

Off and running

Gold dust

Frugality fatigue

Red flag

Foregone conclusion

Call balls and strikes

Stare in the face

Cyber Monday

With a grain of salt

Drive home

Out of nowhere

Shove it under the carpet

Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文僅代表作者本人觀點(diǎn)，與本網(wǎng)立場無關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin（張欣） 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.