The symbol for a penny was a "d" (for the Latin denarius), and for a shilling, it was "s" (the Latin solidus). Possibilities include a connection with the church or bell-ringing since 'bob' meant a set of changes rung on the bells. joey = much debate about this: According to my . (Thanks M Johnson, Jan 2008). spondulicks/spondoolicks = money. Variations on the same theme are motser, motzer, motza, all from the Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect) word 'matzah', the unleavened bread originally shaped like a large flat disk, but now more commonly square (for easier packaging and shipping), eaten at Passover, which suggests earliest origins could have been where Jewish communities connected with English speakers, eg., New York or London (thanks G Kahl). You'll notice a lot of abbreviations here, which is all part of the fun of learning how to speak Texas slang. An 'oxford' was cockney rhyming slang for five shillings (5/-) based on the dollar rhyming slang: 'oxford scholar'. Cassells also suggests possible connection with 'spondylo-' referring to spine or vertebrae, based on the similarity between a stack of coins and a spine, which is referenced in etymologist Michael Quinion's corespondence with a Doug Wilson, which cites the reference to piled coins (and thereby perhaps the link to sponylo/spine) thus: "Spondulics - coin piled for counting" from the 1867 book A Manual of the Art of Prose Composition: For the Use of Colleges and Schools, by John Mitchell Bonnell. (Thanks R Bambridge). Anorak - either hooded rainwear or slang for a nerd. Brummie - native of Birmingham (colloquial). The answer can be traced back to 19th Century India, where the 500 rupee note had a picture of an ape on it and was informally known as a "monkey". carpet = three pounds (3) or three hundred pounds (300), or sometimes thirty pounds (30). 11. Stiver also earlier referred to any low value coin. Other slang terms: Fiver = 5, Lady Godiva (Cockney rhyming slang for a fiver) = 5, Tenner = 10, Pony = 25, Half a ton = 50, Ton = 100, Monkey = 500, Grand = 1000. It is believed these terms were imported from India by returning servicemen. Almost certainly and logically derived from the slang 'doss-house', meaning a very cheap hostel or room, from Elizabethan England when 'doss' was a straw bed, from 'dossel' meaning bundle of straw, in turn from the French 'dossier' meaning bundle. 20 is sometimes referred to as a score, although strictly this is not a slang term for money, as score is a normal word for twenty. Bender. Very occasionally older people, students of English or History, etc., refer to loose change of a small amount of coin money as groats. Cheers - very common alternative for "thank you" or drinking toast. From cockney rhyming slang, bread and honey = money, and which gave rise to the secondary rhyming slang 'poppy', from poppy red = bread. 2. the fur of certain long-haired monkeys. Silver threepences were last issued for circulation in the United Kingdom in 1941 but the final pieces to be sent overseas for colonial use were dated 1944. Chippy (Chippie) - slang for a fish and chip shop. Wangle - to get something through deception or deviousness. Bob - one shilling. Simply derived from the expression 'ready cash'. This would be consistent with one of the possible origins and associations of the root of the word Shilling, (from Proto-Germanic 'skell' meaning to sound or ring). In every country there are slang terms for money. The word cows means a single pound since technically the word is cow's, from cow's licker. Check your spam folder if you don't get an email immediately! Dope - Awesome. Magic Mushrooms - psychedelic mushrooms, Psilocybe semilanceata or the liberty cap, noted for the "nipple" at the top of the head. Yennep is backslang. Prat - stuck up, incompetent or stupid person. Dodgy - suspicious, of questionable quality (slang). Iechyd da! An example of erroneous language becoming real actual language through common use. macaroni = twenty-five pounds (25). To illustrate these glorious slang expressions, we teamed up with Art Money to create visuals using ACTUAL money, with each image created using the currency of the country of the term's origin. The 1973 advert's artistic director was Ridley Scott. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? In this sort of dipping or dibbing, a dipping rhyme would be spoken, coinciding with the pointing or touchung of players in turn, eliminating the child on the final word, for example: dinarly/dinarla/dinaly = a shilling (1/-), from the mid-1800s, also transferred later to the decimal equivalent 5p piece, from the same roots that produced the 'deaner' shilling slang and variations, i.e., Roman denarius and then through other European dinar coins and variations. Shortened to 'G' (usually plural form also) or less commonly 'G's'. 5. Apparently we imported the word grand, which means a thousand, from the States. Bent - dishonest or derogatory for homosexual. cock and hen = ten pounds (thanks N Shipperley). Gucci - Good or going well. bottle = two pounds, or earlier tuppence (2d), from the cockney rhyming slang: bottle of spruce = deuce (= two pounds or tuppence). Posh - port out, starboard home; elegant, stylish, or upper class. Faff - spend time in ineffectual activity. Shop - report someone to the police or higher authorities. From the Hebrew word and Israeli monetary unit 'shekel' derived in Hebrew from the silver coin 'sekel' in turn from the word for weight 'sakal'. ", "They have been monkeying around so they did not get anything done.". I am just trying to help!". half, half a bar/half a sheet/half a nicker = ten shillings (10/-), from the 1900s, and to a lesser degree after decimalisation, fifty pence (50p), based on the earlier meanings of bar and sheet for a pound. Not actually slang, more an informal and extremely common pre-decimalisation term used as readily as 'two-and-six' in referring to that amount. It was a monkey see, monkey do sort of situation. Due to the way the algorithm works, the thesaurus gives you mostly related slang words, rather than exact synonyms. Pinch Another word for stealing, or purchasing something at a heavily discounted rate. EXPLANATION: While this London-centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th Century India. As in "We threw everything except the kitchen sink at the problem.". ayrton senna/ayrton = tenner (ten pounds, 10) - cockney rhyming slang created in the 1980s or early 90s, from the name of the peerless Brazilian world champion Formula One racing driver, Ayrton Senna (1960-94), who won world titles in 1988, 90 and 91, before his tragic death at San Marino in 1994. bag/bag of sand = grand = one thousand pounds (1,000), seemingly recent cockney rhyming slang, in use from around the mid-1990s in Greater London; perhaps more widely too. Bread also has associations with money, which in a metaphorical sense can be traced back to the Bible. Referring to 500, this term is derived from the Indian 500 Rupee note of that era, which featured a monkey on one side. E.g." It was a great holiday, we just sat around cabbaging, topping up our tans and drinking cocktails." 2. monkey. Smoke - the Smoke, the nickname for London. Not always, but often refers to money in coins, and can also refer to riches or wealth. All very vague and confusing. The Joey slang word seems reasonably certainly to have been named after the politician Joseph Hume (1777-1855), who advocated successfully that the fourpenny groat be reintroduced, which it was in 1835 or 1836, chiefly to foil London cab drivers (horse driven ones in those days) in their practice of pretending not to have change, with the intention of extorting a bigger tip, particularly when given two shillings for a two-mile fare, which at the time cost one shilling and eight-pence. More fun British slang phrases. Initially London slang, especially for a fifty pound note. About to do. The study also found more than half of Brits regularly use slang words for money but seven in 10 admit to getting confused about some of the meanings. Scunnered - tired or exhausted (Glaswegian). Notes: Money in general; reference to banknotes from a bank. A final claim is that pony might derive from the Latin words legem pone, which means, payment of money, cash down which begins on the March 25, a quarter day in the old financial calendar, when payments and debts came due. Meaning: London slang for 500. The expression came into use with this meaning when wartime sensitivities subsided around 1960-70s. The large Australian 'wonga' pigeon is almost certainly unrelated yennep/yenep/yennap/yennop = a penny (1d particularly, although also means a decimal penny, 1p). "No more monkeying around! folding/folding stuff/folding money/folding green = banknotes, especially to differentiate or emphasise an amount of money as would be impractical to carry or pay in coins, typically for a night out or to settle a bill. Brass originated as slang for money by association to the colour of gold coins, and the value of brass as a scrap metal. Cock and hen or cockle is also used for 10, whilst 1 might be referred to as a nicker, a nugget or if youre going retro, an Alan Whicker. While this London centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th century India. monkey (plural monkeys) . Cockney rhyming slang from the late 1800s. Bender: derogatory term for homosexual, like "poof." (Note: You probably shouldn't use it or you'll get slapped, but it's worthy of note for giving Futurama a very different meaning.) sovs = pounds. The 'tanner' slang was later reinforced (Ack L Bamford) via jocular reference to a biblical extract about St Peter lodging with Simon, a tanner (of hides). monkey = five hundred pounds (500). From Old High German 'skilling'. For the uninitiated, Cockney rhyming slang can be a pretty confusing language which is probably best avoided if you dont know the ins and outs of it. Aussie Salute - Wave to scare the flies. madza caroon = half-a-crown (2/6) from the mid 1800s. ned = a guinea. Commonly used in speech as 'some silver' or 'any silver', for example: "Have you got any silver for the car-park?" Brown bread - dead from Cockney rhyming slang. gen = a shilling (1/-), from the mid 1800s, either based on the word argent, meaning silver (from French and Latin, and used in English heraldry, i.e., coats of arms and shields, to refer to the colour silver), or more likely a shortening of 'generalize', a peculiar supposed backslang of shilling, which in its own right was certainly slang for shilling, and strangely also the verb to lend a shilling. In earlier times a dollar was slang for an English Crown, five shillings (5/-). This is a truly British expression. It means to make a profit. Definition of monkey_1 noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Darwin (ten pound note, which features the face of Charles Darwin). The word mill is derived simply from the Latin 'millisimus' meaning a thousandth, and is not anything to do with the milled edge of a coin. Therefore one quid, five quid, fifty quid. Here are some of the most common expressions still alive in the UK: General Money Slang - Current Money Money - Bread, dough, spondoolicks, moolah, wedge, lolly One pound - Nicker, quid, squid, smacker Ten pounds - Tenner Five pounds - Fiver, bluey (because they are blue in colour) 25 pounds - Pony 50 pounds - Half a ton, bullseye Tom Mix initially meant the number six (and also fix, as in difficult situation or state of affairs), and extended later in the 1900s to mean six pounds. A clodhopper is old slang for a farmer or bumpkin or lout, and was also a derogatory term used by the cavalry for infantry foot soldiers. Pete Tong - wrong, messed up - referring to the BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong. Monkey (London via India) London slang for 500. P*ssed "P*ssed" usually means "angry" in the US. Not pluralised for a number of pounds, eg., It cost me twenty nicker.. From the early 1900s, London slang, precise origin unknown. Whey Aye Man - yes. From the early 1900s, and like many of these slang words popular among Londoners (ack K Collard) from whom such terms spread notably via City traders and also the armed forces during the 2nd World War. "He started an exercise routine and his wife copied it. A 'double-finnif' (or double-fin, etc) means ten pounds; 'half-a-fin' (half-a-finnip, etc) would have been two pounds ten shillings (equal to 2.50). Origins of dib/dibs/dibbs are uncertain but probably relate to the old (early 1800s) children's game of dibs or dibstones played with the knuckle-bones of sheep or pebbles. Mispronunciation of sovs, short for sovereigns. Crusty - usually young homeless or vagrant person stereotypically dreadlocked; can also mean angry or irritated. If youre in London you may overhear many other terms for money and many of these will come from cockney rhyming slang. A working knowledge of a few important slang words, phrases used in local dialects and colloquialisms will help your understanding of what's really going on in any conversation in the British Isles. From the 19th century sus law (from "suspected person" which gave police the right to stop and search. Plastered Another British slang term for being drunk. They used the term monkey for 500 rupees and on returning to England the saying was converted for sterling to mean 500. Decimal 1p and 2p coins were also 97% copper (technically bronze - 97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin ) until replaced by copper-plated steel in 1992, which amusingly made them magnetic. On the lash - getting drunk; compare "on the piss.". Cheeky Monkey. "That's a barmy idea". Machair - fertile low-lying grassy plain in the Outer Hebrides. bender = sixpence (6d) Another slang term with origins in the 1800s when the coins were actually solid silver, from the practice of testing authenticity by biting and bending the coin, which would being made of near-pure silver have been softer than the fakes. is commonly used to represent that someone is trying to avoid spilling a secret or saying something inappropriate. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. The silver threepence continued in circulation for several years after this, and I read. Copper (term to describe the one and two pence coins). Cock up - a mistake, as a verb "to cock up" is to make a mistake. medza/medzer/medzes/medzies/metzes/midzers = money. In the pre-decimal era half a dollar was half a crown, a bob was a shilling, a tanner a sixpence and a joey a threepenny bit. There is scads of Cockney slang for money. The most widely recognised Cockney rhyming slang terms for money include 'pony' which is 25, a 'ton' is 100 and a 'monkey', which equals 500. Much more recently (thanks G Hudson) logically since the pound coin was introduced in the UK in the 1990s with the pound note's withdrawal, nugget seems to have appeared as a specific term for a pound coin, presumably because the pound coin is golden (actually more brassy than gold) and 'nuggety' in feel. Steve McGarrett was given the legendary line (every week virtually) "Book 'em Danno," - or "Book him Danno," - depending on the number of baddies they caught. Meaning - Monkey Emoji A grand is used when talking in thousands. The word flag has been used since the 1500s as a slang expression for various types of money, and more recently for certain notes. Easy when you know how.. g/G = a thousand pounds. oner = (pronounced 'wunner'), commonly now meaning one hundred pounds; sometimes one thousand pounds, depending on context. Sassenach - non-Highlander (usually referring to the English). Brown bread - dead from Cockney rhyming slang. The biblical text (from Acts chapter 10 verse 6) is: "He (Peter) lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side..", which was construed by jokers as banking transaction instead of a reference to overnight accommodation. Mug - stupid, gullible or ignorant person. Space cadet - flaky, lightheaded, or forgetful person. fin/finn/finny/finnif/finnip/finnup/finnio/finnif = five pounds (5), from the early 1800s. Wed like to share our expertise with you. Prang - a (minor) accident involving a motor vehicle. Bullseye (fifty pounds sterling). It is also used to express shock, awe, and/or amazement. Also meant to lend a shilling, apparently used by the middle classes, presumably to avoid embarrassment. Botch - mess up, ruin; as in "the plumber botched the repair". ", "You know John is not telling the truth about the price of his car. The slang money expression 'quid' seems first to have appeared in late 1600s England, derived from Latin (quid meaning 'what', as in 'quid pro quo' - 'something for something else'). Rank - bad, horrible or smells unpleasant. Piece - piece of bread, sandwich (Glaswegian). Like so much slang, kibosh trips off the tongue easily and amusingly, which would encourage the extension of its use from prison term to money. Gobsmacked. daddler/dadla/dadler = threepenny bit (3d), and also earlier a farthing (quarter of an old penny, d), from the early 1900s, based on association with the word tiddler, meaning something very small. Under the cosh - in a difficult situation. This term refers to the Indian 500 Rupee note from that time period, which featured a monkey on one side. Less well used slang terms include Lady Godiva for fiver and Ayrton Senna for tenner. Also shortened to beesum (from bees and, bees 'n', to beesum). denoting a small light structure or piece of equipment contrived to suit an immediate purpose. Prior to 1971 bob was one of the most commonly used English slang words. Shambolic - disorganized, all over the place. a monkey bridge. nevis/neves = seven pounds (7), 20th century backslang, and earlier, 1800s (usually as 'nevis gens') seven shillings (7/-). They are more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Black stuff. Salty - Bitter or angry. Crazy. EXPLANATION: Although this London-centric slang is completely British, it is actually from India in the nineteenth century. Tony Benn (born 1925) served in the Wilson and Callaghan governments of the 1960s and 70s, and as an MP from 1950-2001, after which he remains (at time of writing this, Feb 2008) a hugely significant figure in socialist ideals and politics, and a very wise and impressive man. Alcohol and words relating to pubs and being drunk feature prominently in British slang. British Dictionary definitions for monkey monkey / ( mk) / noun any of numerous long-tailed primates excluding the prosimians (lemurs, tarsiers, etc): comprise the families Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys), Cebidae (New World monkeys), and Callithricidae (marmosets)See Old World monkey, New World monkey Related adjective: simian Slang words or phrases develop over time. No plural version; it was 'thirty bob' not 'thirty bobs'. All rights reserved. 5. measures = money, late 20th century, most likely arising from misunderstanding medzas and similar variants, particularly medza caroon (hal-crown) and medza meaning a half-penny (ha'penny, i.e., d). Whinge - to complain, thus a whinger is a person who complains, whines. Brummie - native of Birmingham (colloquial). However, when it comes down to money, it is probably worth getting your head around the lingo, to prevent you handing over, or receiving, a wildly incorrect amount because you got the wrong word. The association with a gambling chip is logical. For ex: Susan just had a new extension built onto her house, its beautiful but it must have cost her an arm and a leg! A very resourceful creature, the monkey sign is related to finding solutions to any problem. 6. Acting the maggot. Now that youve got the slang down, youll want to work on your accent. moola = money. Ned was seemingly not pluralised when referring to a number of guineas, eg., 'It'll cost you ten ned..' A half-ned was half a guinea. Banjaxed. These would be considered vulgar so use with caution: bladdered. Also used regularly is a 'score ' which is. For ex: If I can sell all this stuff second hand then Ill be quids in. -keys, v. 1. any mammal of two major groupings of Primates, the Old World monkeys or catarrhines, and the New World monkeys or platyrrhines, both characterized by flattened faces, binocular vision, and usu. On the front foot - meaning positive, active, attacking (from cricket). groat = an old silver four-penny coin from around 1300 and in use in similar form until c.1662, although Brewer states in his late 1800s revised edition of his 1870 dictionary of slang that 'the modern groat was introduced in 1835, and withdrawn in 1887', which is somewhat confusing. Possibly rhyming slang linking lollipop to copper. oncer = (pronounced 'wunser'), a pound , and a simple variation of 'oner'. The ned slang word certainly transferred to America, around 1850, and apparently was used up to the 1920s. Vibe - atmosphere, feeling. 'Bob a nob', in the early 1800s meant 'a shilling a head', when estimating costs of meals, etc. Please be careful using any of these terms as many are considered either sexist or offensive or both. net gen = ten shillings (10/-), backslang, see gen net. He was referring to the fact that the groat's production ceased from 1662 and then restarted in 1835, (or 1836 according to other sources). pissed. Nick Ratnieks suggests the tanner was named after a Master of the Mint of that name. It is conceivable that the use also later transferred for a while to a soverign and a pound, being similar currency units, although I'm not aware of specific evidence of this. Boodle normally referred to ill-gotten gains, such as counterfeit notes or the proceeds of a robbery, and also to a roll of banknotes, although in recent times the usage has extended to all sorts of money, usually in fairly large amounts. bunce = money, usually unexpected gain and extra to an agreed or predicted payment, typically not realised by the payer. Tea - often used as an alternative for dinner up North, thus "What time is tea, mam, I'm starving". Wino - used as a noun for a drunk, alcoholic, especially one who is homeless. Wacky - funny or amusing in a slightly odd or peculiar way. I've spent all morning chundering it back out.". Much variation in meaning is found in the US. Wangle - means to get or do something that is a bit devious. Bagsy - it's mine; succeed in securing (something) for oneself. 21. Backslang evolved for similar reasons as cockney rhyming slang, i.e., to enable private or secret conversation among a particular community, which in the case of backslang is generally thought initially to have been street and market traders, notably butchers and greengrocers. Other suggestions connecting the word pony with money include the Old German word 'poniren' meaning to pay, and a strange expression from the early 1800s, "There's no touching her, even for a poney [sic]," which apparently referred to a widow, Mrs Robinson, both of which appear in a collection of 'answers to correspondents' sent by readers and published by the Daily Mail in the 1990s. Used to describe a stupid, nasty or useless person. It's what is known as dehumanizing language, "language that deprives a person of human qualities or attributes.". 'Monkey's uncle' is used as an expression of surprise. 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