What it means
A kitty is the shared pot of money a group chucks into for a common purpose, like a holiday float, the office tea fund, or the night's drinks. Whoever is nearest dips into it to pay, and when it runs low someone always groans that the kitty needs topping up.
Usage examples
"The holiday kitty is running low, so it is time everyone topped it up again."
"We have all put a tenner in the kitty so nobody has to fuss over the bill."
"Chuck a fiver in the kitty and we'll sort the pizzas from that."
"Who's got the kitty right now? I need to pay the cab before he kicks off."
"Just take the snacks money out of the kitty, that's literally what it's there for."
Where it comes from
This one’s properly old gambling-table slang. In card games, the kitty was the pool of money or extra stakes sitting in the middle. From there it drifted out of the card room and into everyday life, so any shared stash of cash for a group started getting called the kitty too.
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