Exulted in a sizable monetary gain from something that either had been criticized for lacking merit or simply had not been expected to yield much. This expression, always used ironically, originated in the United States about 1960. The popular pianist Liberace, criticized by serious musicians for his flashy, sentimental style, is said to have so replied to a detractor (as reported in his autobiography, published in 1973). A kindred expression, laughed all the way to the bank, is occasionally substituted.