McGarrett = fifty pounds (50). flim/flimsy = five pounds (5), early 1900s, so called because of the thin and flimsy paper on which five pound notes of the time were printed. Bread also has associations with money, which in a metaphorical sense can be traced back to the Bible. And today'post is about where it all started - British Slang! Jelly - fruit-flavored gelatin dessert or slang for valium as in "jellies". "No more monkeying around! Do A "do" is also a slang word for "party" in British English. If youre in London you may overhear many other terms for money and many of these will come from cockney rhyming slang. The selected samples of fruit and vegetables . The term coppers is also slang for a very small amount of money, or a cost of something typically less than a pound, usually referring to a bargain or a sum not worth thinking about, somewhat like saying 'peanuts' or 'a row of beans'. Not actually slang, more an informal and extremely common pre-decimalisation term used as readily as 'two-and-six' in referring to that amount. EXPLANATION: While this London-centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th Century India. Aussie Salute - Wave to scare the flies. oncer = (pronounced 'wunser'), a pound , and a simple variation of 'oner'. They are meant for comprehension rather than reproduction. doubloons = money. Bloke What does Bloke mean in British slang. MONKEY. "He started an exercise routine and his wife copied it. ABC Education brings you high-quality educational content to use at home and in the classroom. Partridge doesn't say). Machair - fertile low-lying grassy plain in the Outer Hebrides. 4. Have you ever overheard some rather strange terms 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. And some further clarification and background: k/K = a thousand (1,000 or $1,000). Use: He's bladdered come 'ed we best swerve the next bar. This is what I call brass monkey weather. Suss out - find, discover, understand. 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. Seymour created the classic 1973 Hovis TV advert featuring the baker's boy delivering bread from a bike on an old cobbled hill in a North England town, to the theme of Dvorak's New World symphony played by a brass band. The word can actually be traced back to Roman times, when a 'Denarius Grossus' was a 'thick penny' (equivalent). If someone has the cheddar, it means they must be making bank. Brewer's dictionary of 1870 says that the American dollar is '..in English money a little more than four shillings..'. A variation of sprat, see below. I can find no other references to meanings or origins for the money term 'biscuit'. Answer (1 of 27): There is commonly held belief that the term was brought back by returning British soldiers in the days of the Raj, alluding to the idea that the 25 rupee note bore a picture of a pony (the same theory attempts to explain 500 being a 'monkey').The problem with this idea is this:. It is spoken mainly by young, working-class people in multicultural parts of London. These are just a few examples of British slang words for being drunk. Litty again - exciting or wild once more. What does she say can mean what she generally says or thinks about a particular situation and not just at a particular time in the past; whereas What did she say refers to a specific point of time in the past which youre referring to. EXPLANATION: Although this London-centric slang is completely British, it is actually from India in the nineteenth century. 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. motsa/motsah/motzer = money. Thus, "Use your loaf" means "Use your head" (think!). Not always, but often refers to money in coins, and can also refer to riches or wealth. Brewer's 1870 Dictionary of Phrase and Fable states that 'bob' could be derived from 'Bawbee', which was 16-19th century slang for a half-penny, in turn derived from: French 'bas billon', meaning debased copper money (coins were commonly cut to make change). Odds and sods - this and that; bits and pieces. Origin is not known for sure. Much of it derives from the designs on the notes - five pounds, ten pounds, twenty pounds. 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. Madza caroon is an example of 'ligua franca' slang which in this context means langauge used or influenced by foreigners or immigrants, like a sort of pidgin or hybrid English-foreign slang, in this case mixed with Italian, which logically implies that much of the early usage was in the English Italian communities. This is a truly British expression. 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. 12. The sixpenny piece used to be known long ago as a 'simon', possibly (ack L Bamford) through reference to the 17th century engraver at the Royal Mint, Thomas Simon. I'll be a monkey's uncle. Skip - large steel box for rubbish from demolitions/building repairs. More rarely from the early-mid 1900s fiver could also mean five thousand pounds, but arguably it remains today the most widely used slang term for five pounds. That's about 20p. Boob tube - tight-fitting strapless top made of stretchy material. "Some silver will do." Pete Tong - wrong, messed up - referring to the BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong. "The company fired its accountant because there was some monkey business going on with the accounts. Various other spellings, e.g., spondulacks, spondulics. cabbage = money in banknotes, 'folding' money - orginally US slang according to Cassells, from the 1900s, also used in the UK, logically arising because of the leaf allusion, and green was a common colour of dollar notes and pound notes (thanks R Maguire, who remembers the slang from Glasgow in 1970s). Dib was also US slang meaning $1 (one dollar), which presumably extended to more than one when pluralised. 2. the fur of certain long-haired monkeys. 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. shit faced. Play it by ear - proceed instinctively according to circumstances. Cheeky Monkey. Separately bottle means money generally and particularly loose coinage, from the custom of passing a bottle for people to give money to a busker or street entertainer. MORE : How many medals has Great Britain won at the Winter Olympics? For example: "What did you pay for that?" 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. Wed like to share our expertise with you. Bunts also used to refer to unwanted or unaccounted-for goods sold for a crafty gain by workers, and activity typically hidden from the business owner. Fuzz - old, derogatory slang for the police. In the US a nickel is more commonly a five cent coin. 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'. pissed. 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. Some think the root might be from Proto-Germanic 'skeld', meaning shield. archer = two thousand pounds (2,000), late 20th century, from the Jeffrey Archer court case in which he was alleged to have bribed call-girl Monica Coughlan with this amount. Britain-Visitor.com provides travel information on Britain's cities and the essential when and where and how to get there. Queen mum- Cockney rhyming slang for bum. Chip was also slang for an Indian rupee. The British word Quid originated from the American Colonies (circa-1700s) when the descendants of the original Scots-Irish colonists returned to the seas as Marines for what was to become the U.S. Navy. Bloody hell: To express anger, shock or surprise. Mispronunciation of sovs, short for sovereigns. Vest - (usually) sleeveless, cotton undershirt. In the US a nickel is more commonly a five cent coin. Brass Monkey Weather. Even if you never actually get anywhere near the sound of Bow bells, it is handy pub quiz knowledge to have in your locker. Yennep is backslang. Naff (adj) So 'naff' is a word with an interesting history. Your response is private Was this worth your time? 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). Derivation in the USA would likely also have been influenced by the slang expression 'Jewish Flag' or 'Jews Flag' for a $1 bill, from early 20th century, being an envious derogatory reference to perceived and stereotypical Jewish success in business and finance. Mug off - disrespect, make someone appear stupid. "That's a barmy idea". 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. A pound in the Smoke is a Nicker A hundred of them make a ton And what rhymes with Nicker but . Modern London slang. 22. The coin was not formally demonetised until 31 August 1971 at the time of decimalisation. Tanner - 6d or sixpence. (Thanks M Ty-Wharton). Lass - young woman (Scotland and northern England). The similar German and Austrian coin was the 'Groschen', equivalent to 10 'Pfennigs'. The word garden features strongly in London, in famous place names such as Hatton Garden, the diamond quarter in the central City of London, and Covent Garden, the site of the old vegetable market in West London, and also the term appears in sexual euphemisms, such as 'sitting in the garden with the gate unlocked', which refers to a careless pregnancy. 11. Thats the end of our money series so remember to tune in for our next episode to see what new slang we have in store for you! Posh - port out, starboard home; elegant, stylish, or upper class. cock and hen = ten pounds (thanks N Shipperley). ", "The children will get up to monkey business if we do not keep our eye on them.". grand = a thousand pounds (1,000 or $1,000) Not pluralised in full form. This mostly means a deliciously spicy Mexican taco, but is also slang for money. dunop/doonup = pound, backslang from the mid-1800s, in which the slang is created from a reversal of the word sound, rather than the spelling, hence the loose correlation to the source word. Cockney Money Slang. Add a little spark to your vocabulary with Scottish slang. Meaning: used to describe a person who is mischievous or silly. Bagsy - it's mine; succeed in securing (something) for oneself. Here the top 80 most used Irish slang phrases. In this post we share the official and unofficial ways Brits refer to money. A further suggestion (ack S Kopec) refers to sixpence being connected with pricing in the leather trade. In the 1800s a oner was normally a shilling, and in the early 1900s a oner was one pound. Example: "I only paid a monkey for it." 6. Shagged out - (or just shagged) tired, exhausted. The symbolism of the monkey is connected to deep knowledge and intelligence. Jiffy - a very short time, a moment as in "Back in a jiffy.". How many medals has Great Britain won at the Winter Olympics? Verb. Also used regularly is a 'score' which is 20, a 'bullseye' is 50, a 'grand' is 1,000 and a 'deep sea diver' which is 5 (a fiver). garden/garden gate = eight pounds (8), cockney rhyming slang for eight, naturally extended to eight pounds. Hamsterkaufing - stockpiling or hoarding before a Covid-19 lockdown. bottle = two pounds, or earlier tuppence (2d), from the cockney rhyming slang: bottle of spruce = deuce (= two pounds or tuppence). Money Slang Special Whats the meaning of Fiver, Tenner and Bluey in British Slang? From the 16th century, and a popular expression the north of England, e.g., 'where there's muck there's brass' which incidentally alluded to certain trades involving scrap, mess or waste which offered high earnings. Then you gotta know the key money values: 20 is a Score, 25 is a Pony, 100 is a Ton, 500 . Chippy (Chippie) - slang for a fish and chip shop. Cheeky monkey is an expression we use when someone is being mischievous and playful. beer tokens = money. Whinge - to complain, thus a whinger is a person who complains, whines. Also shortened to beesum (from bees and, bees 'n', to beesum). Wor lad - my boyfriend. Crazy. 1. 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. Nobble - disable, try to influence or thwart by underhand or unfair methods, steal. No other language in the world has been as bastardised as this one! (British English, slang) if you say that it is brass monkeys or brass monkey weather, you mean that it is very cold weather; get a monkey off your back Definition: Drunk beyond comprehension. 11. I personally feel (and think I recall) there was some transference of the Joey slang to the sixpence (tanner) some time after the silver threepenny coin changed to the brass threepenny bit (which was during the 1930-40s), and this would have been understandable because the silver sixpence was similar to the silver threepence, albeit slightly larger. seymour = salary of 100,000 a year - media industry slang - named after Geoff Seymour (1947-2009) the advertising copywriter said to have been the first in his profession to command such a wage. bollocksed. generalise/generalize = a shilling (1/-), from the mid 1800s, thought to be backslang. Monkey Emoji is a very simple emoji usually used for its literal meaning when talking about wild and funny animals such as monkeys. Bent - dishonest or derogatory for homosexual. Less common variations on the same theme: wamba, wanga, or womba. Cockney rhyming slang, from 'poppy red' = bread, in turn from 'bread and honey' = money. Bender. Dosh appears to have originated in this form in the US in the 19th century, and then re-emerged in more popular use in the UK in the mid-20th century. Interestingly mill is also a non-slang technical term for a tenth of a USA cent, or one-thousandth of a dollar, which is an accounts term only - there is no coinage for such an amount. Meaning: used to describe extremely cold or extremely hot weather. The silver threepence continued in circulation for several years after this, and I read. simon = sixpence (6d). What does Kermit mean? Cock up: Make a mess of something. There were twenty Stivers to the East India Co florin or gulden, which was then equal to just over an English old penny (1d). Certain lingua franca blended with 'parlyaree' or 'polari', which is basically underworld slang. Cockney Rhyming Slang - a common word replaced with a rhyming pair of words or longer phrase and then omitting the rhyming word, for example, "Apples and pears" (= stairs, becomes "apples"), butcher's hook (look, becomes "butcher's"), loaf of bread (head, becomes "loaf"). Texas slang. Others have suggested that an Indian twenty-five rupee banknote featured a pony. It was inspired by a monkey on the 500 Rupee banknote. sprat/spratt = sixpence (6d). Bags (to make a bags of something) Bang on. Earful - a prolonged and angry reprimand. Kettles - watches - from kettle and hob = watch (Cockney rhyming slang). shekels/sheckles = money. Chuffed: Pleased, delighted. The term has since the early 1900s been used by bookmakers and horse-racing, where carpet refers to odds of three-to-one, and in car dealing, where it refers to an amount of 300. 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