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I think "break out" means (verb transitive) (idiomatic) to bring out, use, or present as explained in here or To present something for use, especially something that had been stored out of sight or concealed as explained in here

What connotation does "break out the checkbook" have? Why would you use this phrase instead of "take out the checkbook"? Does it imply the unwillingness to give money or the difficulty/inconvenience in taking out the checkbook and using it or something else?

Thank you.

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    It's colloquial and slang. Like: Let's break out the champagne!
    – Lambie
    Commented Aug 16 at 18:37

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The phrase "break out" is somewhat more figurative and puts the focus on the general idea of bringing something out, rather than the physical act. Upon receiving good news, one might want to "break out the champagne", connoting the idea of celebrating with a drink. In contrast, to "take out the champagne" might be to simply retrieve a bottle from the refrigerator.

Here, "break out the checkbook" and "take out the checkbook" are nearly interchangeable, but I'd say the former more calls attention to the fact that money is being spent, rather than the form of payment. It's a somewhat more emphatic way of referring to the same action, possibly used to highlight that one is excited (or not excited) to make the payment.

There are many cases where either phrase would be appropriate, but here are a couple of examples where the phrases would not be interchangeable:

Go into my purse and take out the checkbook.

I just won the lottery, it's time to break out the checkbook!

The former describes nothing more than the literal physical act of removing the checkbook from the purse - it might not even imply you're going to use it, if you wanted to leave it behind or show it to someone. The latter phrase, on the other hand, figuratively implies that you intend to spend money - it might not even imply that you're literally going to be paying by check.

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    Is there anywhere in 2024 where people still write checks/cheques? In the UK we tend to flash the plastic or just wave our phones.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Aug 16 at 18:39
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    Break out the paywave device doesn't have quite the same romance, to be fair.
    – Peter Kirkpatrick
    Commented Aug 16 at 23:39
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    @MichaelHarvey checks are still quite common in the USA, although not as much as they used to be. My landlord still requires a paper check once a month. (The building has 16 units and is legally a corporation (LLC) -- too large for informal payment like Venmo; too small for accepting credit cards to be cost-effective; and there is still in 2024 (in the USA) no reasonable way to do direct person-to-person bank transfers, that works for everyone, without major caveats.)
    – Glenn Willen
    Commented Aug 17 at 2:56
  • Thank you, Nuclear Hoagie, for the great explanation. I am the OP. The example sentences really help me to understand better. Thank you.
    – user1026669
    Commented Aug 17 at 17:25

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