In typical American culture, and likely in many others, money is supposed to be something we don't discuss too directly and well-mannered people are expected to use words that maintain a few feet of distance between them and the actual concept of dollar bills. When you discuss it too directly, this word describes such a situation.
Examples:
- Walking into HR and saying "I need more money". Eek, too direct. Maybe discuss adjusting "salary" or "compensation" instead
- A bank having pictures of bars of gold, diamonds, or stacks of hundred dollar bills on the walls
- An executive driving a Ferrari around on a daily basis
- Golden toilet seats
- Pulling out a wad of hundred dollar bills at the grocery store checkout and openly counting through them without any attempt at hiding how much money you have from onlookers
- An investment firm calling themselves Cash Firm
These are all examples of cultural faux-pas, being too showy or direct with discussions of money, both among those who have money, and among those who wish to be perceived as having money.
Here are some similar words:
- ostentatious - doesn't really apply to cases in which money is mentioned but not used
- "new money" - doesn't capture the whole story, and only includes those who actually have money
- unclassy - not very specific, includes many other behaviors as well
Is there a word that captures the idea of being too visible with money, not putting enough physical and metaphorical distance between the concept and how it's discussed?