Stump up to pay?

[Steve]

Test No. incompl/advan-3 "Credit Card Holders", question 6

The ordinary person is again being asked to ......... to pay for dental treatment.

(a) stump up
(b) throw up
(c) cheer up
(d) bring up

Test No. incompl/advan-3 "Credit Card Holders", answer 6

The ordinary person is again being asked to stump up to pay for dental treatment.

Correct answer: (a) stump up

Your answer was: incorrect
The ordinary person is again being asked to cheer up to pay for dental treatment.
_________________________

where do people use this expression to "stump up"? I have never heard this in the 39 years i have lived in Canada

[Alan]

It comes from the idea of getting down to the roots because a stump is what remains of a tree that has been cut down and thus has the idea of digging deep into your pocket to pay for something. It appears as slang in the Oxford English Dictionary and therefore I would assume it is used in English speaking countries, certainly in the UK.
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story A day in the life of a driving instructor