Slang terms for money often derive from the appearance and features of

banknote A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes w ...

s or

coins A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

, their values, historical associations or the units of

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

concerned. Within a language community, some of the

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gr ...

terms vary in social, ethnic, economic, and geographic strata but others have become the dominant way of referring to the currency and are regarded as mainstream, acceptable language (for example, "buck" for a

dollar Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, ...

or similar currency in various nations including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria and the United States).

Australia

Current denominations

The five-cent coin is sometimes referred to as "shrapnel" as the smallest remaining coin in value and physical size. This nickname was inherited from one- and two-cent coins when they were abolished in 1996. Similarly related, as is also used in the United Kingdom, "fivers" and "tenners" are relatively common expressions for five and ten pounds, respectively. "Beer tokens" can relate to any denomination or combination of. This is also in keeping with the reverse, in which "bottle tops" can be used as an expression of holding, offering, or having a low amount of money. A twenty-dollar note is called a "

lobster Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, ...

" or redback because of its red colour. A fifty-dollar note is also known colloquially as a "pineapple" or the " Big Pineapple" because of its yellow colour. The $100 note is currently green and is known colloquially as an "avocado" or "green tree frog", but between 1984 and 1996 it was grey, and was called a grey nurse (a type of shark). In a ''

Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...

'' episode set in Australia, one character used the term "dollarydoos" which was later the subject of a failed petition to formally change the name of the Australian dollar.

Former denominations

Pre-decimal currency in Australia had a variety of slang terms for its various denominations. The Australian threepence was referred to as a "trey" or a "trey bit", a name probably derived from old French meaning three. The sixpence was often referred to as a "zack", which was an Australian and New Zealander term referring to a coin of small denomination, probably derived from Zecchino. The term was also used to refer to short prison term such as six months. An Australian shilling, like its British counterpart, was commonly referred to as a "bob", and the

florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purc ...

was consequently known as "two bob". Similarly, one

Australian pound The pound ( Sign: £, £A for distinction) was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. As with other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (denoted by the symbol ...

was colloquially described as a "quid", "fiddly", or "saucepan", the latter as

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymi ...

for "saucepan lid/quid". The five-pound note could be referred to as a "fiver", or its derivatives, "deep sea diver" and "sky diver". A number of post-decimal denominations which have since been discontinued had their own nicknames. The two-dollar note was known as the "sick sheep" in reference to its green colour and the

merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

ram that it showed. The paper (first and second series) hundred-dollar note was nicknamed the "grey ghost", "grey nurse", or the "Bradman" in recognition of its proximity to the 99.94 batting average of cricketer

Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...

Canada

In Canada, the one-dollar coin is known as the ''

loonie The loonie (french: huard), formally the Canadian one-dollar coin, is a gold-coloured Canadian coin that was introduced in 1987 and is produced by the Royal Canadian Mint at its facility in Winnipeg. The most prevalent versions of the coin ...

''. This is because it bears an image of the

common loon The common loon or great northern diver (''Gavia immer'') is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. Breeding adults have a plumage that includes a broad black head and neck with a greenish, purplish, or bluish sheen, blackish ...

, a bird. The two-dollar coin is known as the ''

toonie The toonie (also spelled twonie or twoonie), formally the Canadian two-dollar coin (, nicknamed or ), was introduced on February 19, 1996, by Minister of Public Works Diane Marleau. , it possesses the highest monetary value of any circulating ...

'', a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsfive-dollar note is known colloquially as a ''fin'', a ''fiver'', ''half a sawbuck''. A ten-dollar note is known colloquially as ''a ten-spot'', a ''dixie'', a ''sawbuck'', or a ''tenner''. A twenty-dollar note is known colloquially as ''QE2'', or a ''Queen Sheet'' (after its portrait of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

). A one hundred-dollar note is known colloquially as a ''C-Note'', a ''Borden'' (after its portrait of Prime Minister

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

), or a ''bill'' (e.g. $500 is ''5 bills''). $100.00 is also called an ''onion'' in gambling corners. Discontinued since 2000, the former one thousand-dollar notes were occasionally referred to as "pinkies", because of their distinctive colour. Since Canadians and Americans both refer to their respective currencies as "the dollar", and because the two countries tend to mingle both socially and in the media, there is a lot of overlap in slang terms for money. However, this usually only extends to terms that are not specific to one country or the other. For example, both Canadians and Americans refer to a $100 note as a ''C-note'', but an American might refer to it as a ''Benjamin'', after its portrait of Benjamin Franklin, while a Canadian might refer to it as a ''Borden'', after its portrait of Robert Borden. In

Canadian French Canadian French (french: français canadien) is the French language as it is spoken in Canada. It includes multiple varieties, the most prominent of which is Québécois (Quebec French). Formerly ''Canadian French'' referred solely to Quebec ...

, dollar amounts are often referred to as ''piasses'' in the same way that an English speaker would use the words "buck" or "bucks" in informal settings. The word ''piasse'' is derived from the word

piastre The piastre or piaster () is any of a number of units of currency. The term originates from the Italian for "thin metal plate". The name was applied to Spanish and Hispanic American pieces of eight, or pesos, by Venetian traders in the Levant ...

Czech republic

Coins and banknotes are referred to as:
5 CZK coin is called ''bur''
10 CZK coin is called ''pětka''
100 CZK note is called ''kilo'' (reference to kilogram – weight unit)
500 CZK note is ''pětibába'' (reference to baba = woman on its face and pet = five)
1000 CZK note is ''litr'' (reference to litre – volume unit)
milion CZK is ''mega'' (obvious 10^6 SI unit prefix)
If someone has a large amount of money, but the exact amount is not known, people say ''je ve vatě'' ("he is in cotton wool") or ''je v balíku'' ("he's in a package").

Eurozone

Since its introduction in 1999, a number of slang terms for the

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

have emerged, though differences between languages mean that they are not common across the whole of the

eurozone The euro area, commonly called eurozone (EZ), is a currency union of 19 member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (€) as their primary currency and sole legal tender, and have thus fully implemented EMU pol ...

. Some terms are inherited from the legacy currencies, such as ''quid'' from the

Irish pound The pound ( Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin ci ...

and various translations of ''fiver'' or ''tenner'' being used for notes. The German ''Teuro'' is a play on the word ''teuer'', meaning 'expensive'. The

Deutsche Mark The Deutsche Mark (; English: ''German mark''), abbreviated "DM" or "D-Mark" (), was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 until 1990 and later the unified Germany from 1990 until the adoption of the euro in 2002. In English, it was ...

by comparison was approximately worth half as much as the euro (at a ratio of 1.95583:1) and some grocers and restaurants have been accused of taking advantage of the smaller numbers to increase their actual prices with the changeover by rounding to 2:1, in Portugal the same has happened and usually use the term "Aéreo" with the meaning of "Aéreal", the currency that flies away. In

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

the lower value copper coins are known as ''koper'' (copper) or ''rosse'' (~ginger, referring to the colour). ''Ege'' in Finland and ''Pavo'' (which is the usual Spanish translation of ''buck'' on movies or TV shows when it refers to dollars) in Spain are also terms applied to the euro.

India

In India slang names for coins are more common than the currency notes. For 5 paisa (100 paisa is equal to 1 Indian rupee) it is ''panji''. A 10 paisa coin is called ''dassi'' and for 20 paisa it is ''bissi''. A 25 paisa coin is called ''chavanni'' (equal to 4 annas) and 50 paisa is ''athanni'' (8 annas). However, in recent years, due to inflation, the use of these small value coins has declined, and so has the use of these slang terms. The more prevalent terms now (particularly in Mumbai and in Bollywood movies) are ''peti'' for a Lakh (Rs. 100,000) and ''khokha'' for a Crore (Rs. 10,000,000) and ''tijori'' for 100 crores (Rs. 1,000,000,000). ''Peti'' also means "suitcase", which is the volume needed to carry a Lakh of currency notes. Tijori means a large safe or a cupboard, which would be the approximate space required to store that money in cash form. Because of the real estate boom in recent times, businessmen also use the terms '2CR' or '3CR' referring to two crores and three crores respectively.

Argentina

In Argentina, among the years and despite many devaluation milestones, the lunfardo managed to persist in time some special nicknames to certain amount of money, not because color or type of the bill but to different meanings and uses. Senior people above 65 now (previous to baby-boomer generation) used to call "guita" to the coins of low denomination of cents ('centavos'), like 2, 5 or 10 cent coins. So "10 guita" meant 10 cents of peso. Today the cents are still legal but non-existent. The word "guita" in lunfardo is synonym for "money". During the short period of the "Austral" which replaced the traditional "Peso" monetary bill, after the period called 'dirty war' (between 1983 and 1990) and in the recent years after year 2.000, people used to call "palo" (stick) to the "million" of australes or pesos, so "2 palos" refers to 2 million pesos. For the last 20 years or more, after year 1997 at least, and during the government of president Menem, as probably the hiatus of the pre-devaluation era before year 2000, and even today people got used to call "luca" to thousands of pesos, so "5 lucas" it means 5 thousand pesos. Lucas, is a typical masculine name among the X Generation in Argentina. Then another nickname for the singular peso is "mango", but nobody would call 35.000 "mangos" when they can say 35 "lucas". Also nobody would say 1.000 "lucas" when they can simply say 1 "palo" (1 million pesos)

Mexico

The mexican coin is called ''peso'' 0.5 MXN coin is called ''toston'' 10 MXN coin is called ''Diego'' 20 MXN bill is called ''Benito or Beny'' 200 MXN bill is called ''Juana'' 1000 MXN bill is called ''Miguelito'' In general, money is referred to as "lana" (wool) or "feria" (change).

Kenya

In Kenya there are about 42 different languages, which have different dialects and indigenous names for money, in addition to the official National languages of Swahili and English. In English, Kenyan currency is a Shilling while in Swahili it is "Shilingi". (Indeed, all East African countries refer to their money as Shillings.) Other notable names include: In addition, youth have a sub-culture street language for the different denominations. Using the street slang (''sheng''), urbanites often amalgamate Swahili, English, and their mother-tongue to concoct meanings and names for the different denominations. Among the commonly used terms are: In writing, money is denoted by "Kshs" before or the slang notation "/=" after. For examples, Kshs.1.00 is one-bob, whereas 5,000/= is five-Kei.

Corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

is rampant in the Kenyan government, and corrupt officials in government agencies often refer to illicit kickbacks as "chickens" to avoid anti-corruption and money laundering enforcement.

Malaysia

States in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

have different terms for money. Normally, "cents" are called "sen", but in the northern region (

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the M ...

Kedah Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman and historically as Queda, is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km2, and it consists of the mainland ...

Perlis Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...

) one "kupang" is 10 sen, thus 50 sen is "5 kupang". "Det" (pronounce "date") means "money", such as in "Weh aku takdak det" ("I have no money"). In the East Coast Region (

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in t ...

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith") ...

Pahang Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a sultanate and ...

), "50 sen" is replaced with "se-amah" (where "se" refer to one in Malay). RM 1 (100 sen) is called "dua-amah" ("dua" is two in Malay), and so on. In Kelantan, "ringgit" is called "riyal". For example, RM 10 (10 ringgit) is called "10 riyal" in Kelantan. In olden days, RM 10 was called "Red Tiger" because there was a watermark of tiger in a red tone on the RM 10 notes.

Russia

General money slang Generally slang terms for money are following:
"b′abki" — from Czech small anvil for making coins — "b′abka", ''pl.'' "b′abki"
"babl′o" — slang from "b′abki"
"lav′ae" — used since 1990s, comes from gypsy word "lavae" means silver. Russian writer

Victor Pelevin Victor Olegovich Pelevin ( rus, Виктор Олегович Пелевин, p=ˈvʲiktər ɐˈlʲɛɡəvʲɪtɕ pʲɪˈlʲevʲɪn; born 22 November 1962) is a Russian fiction writer. His novels include ''Omon Ra'' (1992), ''The Life of Insects ...

gives an alternative witty consumeristic meaning to this word. In his book "Generation P" he interprets "lav′ae" as a spelled out abbreviation "LV" which stands for liberal values.
"kap′u:sta" — means cabbage
"derevy′anniy" — a general name for a rouble, a substantive adj. "wooden". Means that rouble is cheap as it is made of wood. Expressions
"strich bablo" — verb "strich" means "to cut", "to trim" money like from the hedge (also "strich kapu:stu", "strich lavae")
"kos′it' babl′o" — "to mow money" (also "kos′it' kap′u:stu", "kos′it' lav′ae"), similar to "trim money"
Both expressions mean to earn money in big amounts (usually refers to illegal ways) or to collect money from someone. Coins The Russian language has slang terms for various amounts of money. Slang names of copeck coins derive from old Russian pre-decimal coins and are rarely in use nowadays: an "altyn" is three copecks, a " grivennik" is ten copecks, a "pyatialtynny" ("five-altyns") is fifteen copecks, and a "dvugrivenny" ("two-grivenniks") is 20 copecks. Most of these coins are of Soviet mint and no longer used; only the ten copeck coin remains in circulation. 1 copeck — "kop′eyechka" (diminutive from copeck)
3 copecks — "alt′yn"
10 copecks — " gr′ivennik"
15 copecks — "pyatialt′ynny" ("five-altyns")
20 copecks — "dvugr′ivenny" ("two-grivenniks") Bills The word "cherv′onets" means ten rubles and refers to an early 20th-century gold coin of the same name. It is also called "ch′irik" (a diminutive for "cherv′onets"). The words for bank notes from 50 to 1000 rubles are the newest and most modern, since currently (2000s-2010s) bank notes of this value are most common in circulation. 50 rubles are called "polt′innik" (an old word that originally meant 50 copecks), 100 rubles are called "st′ol'nik" (a neologism from the Russian word "sto", meaning "100", not related to the

Muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula K Al2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavag ...

office of the same name), 500 rubles are called "pyatih′atka" (lit. "five huts"), "fiol′et" ("violet", because of the note's color), and 1000 rubles are called "sht′u:ka" (means "item", "pack" — 1990-s slang for a pack of bills 100x10RUB or 100x10USD), "kus′ok" ("piece", "pack" — also refers to a 100x10RUB pack); or "kos′ar'" — (form "k′oso" — ''adv.'' "aslope") initially refers to a fact that in the 1910-20s the number "1000" was printed on the note at 45°. The word "kos′ar'" (homonymic meaning is "mower") can also be referred to another money slang expression "kos′it' babl′o" — "to mow money" — to earn money in big amounts (usually refers to illegal ways). 10 RUB — "cherv′onets" (from ''Slav.'' "cherv′oniy" — red, refer to a colour the note was in Soviet times), "ch′irik" (a diminutive for chervonets)
50 RUB — "polt′innik" (substantive from "five-altyns")
100 RUB — "stol'nik", "s′o:tka", "sot′el" (informal substantives from "sto" — one hundred)
500 RUB — "pyatis′otka"(substantive from "pyat's′ot" — five hundred), "pyatih′utka" (lit. "five huts")", "fiol′et" ("violet" refers to a note colour)
1000 RUB — "sht′u:ka", "shtu:k′ar'" ("item", "pack" — 1990-s slang for a pack of bills 100x10RUB or 100x10USD)", "kus′ok" ("piece", "pack" — also refers to a 100x10RUB pack); "kos′ar'" ("slopped"), "rubl'"
5000 RUB – "pit′orka", "pit′ora" ("a fiver"), "pyat' shtuk" (five packs, five packs of 100x10RUB), "pyat' kosar′ey", "pyat' kusk′o:v", "pyat' rubl'ey"

Slang words for greater amounts of money originate from the 1990s and the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

eras, when the ruble was suffering

hyperinflation In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimize their holdings in that currency as t ...

. For a million rubles the most common are "limon" (lemon), "lyam" (short from "limon") and for a billion "arbuz" (watermelon). Word "limon" appeared in 1990s when rouble lost its value. 1 000 000 RUB — "lim′o:n" (lemon), "lyam" (short from "limon")
1 000 000 000 RUB — "yard" (milliard), "arb′u:z" (watermelon)

Slovakia

From 1993 to 2008, Slovakia used its own currency, slovenská koruna (Slovak crown), instead of

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

. During this period, slang words for greater amounts of money were established, including "kilo" (slang for

kilogram The kilogram (also kilogramme) is the unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI), having the unit symbol kg. It is a widely used measure in science, engineering and commerce worldwide, and is often simply called a kilo colloquially. ...

) for one hundred crowns, "liter" (

liter The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3) ...

) for one thousand crowns and "melón" (

melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". T ...

) for one million crowns. These slang words are still used after 2008, albeit less frequently.

South Africa

Decimal currency was introduced in 1961, when the South African pound, previously based on the United Kingdom currency, was replaced by the rand (symbol R) at the rate of 2 rand to 1 pound, or 10 shillings to the rand. Thus the United Kingdom term "bob" for a shilling equates to 10 cents. South African slang for various amounts of money borrows many terms from the rest of the English speaking world, such as the word "grand" when referring to R1,000. Other words are unique to South Africa, such as the term "choc" when referring to a R20 note. One "bar" refers to an amount of R1,000,000. Among the English speaking communities "Bucks" is commonly used to refer to Rands (South African Currency). Less commonly used is the Afrikaans slang for Rands which is "Bokke", the plural of Bok; The Afrikaans word for antelope ("Bucks" being the English equivalent), derived from the Springbok image on the old R 1 coin. e.g. R 100 = 100 Bucks/Bokke, R 5 = 5 Bucks/Bokke etc.

Netherlands

Netherlands-slang(straattaal) 5 cent : centoe, kleingeld, stuiver (in Amsterdam "bijssie") 10 cents: dubbeltje (double stuiver) "duppie" 25 cents: kwartje (a quarter of a Guilder) (in Amsterdam "heitje") 1 euro : uru, djara, ballen (pleural), e, ekkie, eu, eccie, pop (Previously when it was 1 Guilder – "piek") 2.5 Guilders" rijksdaalder (in Amsterdam "knaak") 5 euro: lotto, vijfje ("fiver") 10 euro: donnie, tientje ("tenner"), joet (after

yodh Yodh (also spelled jodh, yod, or jod) is the tenth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician Yōd /𐤉, Hebrew Yōd , Aramaic Yod , Syriac Yōḏ ܝ, and Arabic . Its sound value is in all languages for which it is used; in many l ...

, the tenth letter in the Hebrew alphabet) – (in Amsterdam "joet") 25 euro: twaja donnie, geeltje ("yellow one", the former guilder banknote used to be yellow from 1861 until 1909) There is no 25 Euro bill; only a 20 Euro) 50 euro: bankoe 100 euro: barkie, meier (after mea, Hebrew for 100), mud (unit of volume, derived from Latin modius; used to be 100 litres after 1820), snip (the old guilder banknote once had a snipe on it) - 1000 euro: doezoe, mille (from French word for thousand), rooie/rooie rug/rug ("red one, red back, back", the former guilder banknote once had a red backside), kop ("head") 100.000 euro: ton 1.000.000 euro: milli 1.000.000.000 euro: billi 1.000.000.000.000 euro: trill, trilly 1.000.000.000.000.000 euro: gerro/gerry

New Zealand

In New Zealand one dollar and two dollar coins are often referred to as "gold coins". This presumably comes from the term "gold coin donation", which is widely used in New Zealand in schools on days such as mufti day and in a Koha. One hundred dollar notes are often referred to as "Ern Ruddys" a nod to Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand-born British physicist that features on the one hundred dollar note, also known as the father of nuclear physics.

Sweden

In Sweden money in general is colloquially referred to by the words ''stålar'', ''deg'' ("

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavenin ...

") or ''klöver'' ("

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

") and the English loanword ''cash''. Slang terms for the

Swedish krona The krona (; plural: ''kronor''; sign: kr; code: SEK) is the official currency of the Kingdom of Sweden. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it ...

in use today include ''spänn'' and ''bagis''. ''Riksdaler'' (referring

riksdaler The svenska riksdaler () was the name of a Swedish coin first minted in 1604. Between 1777 and 1873, it was the currency of Sweden. The daler, like the dollar,''National Geographic''. June 2002. p. 1. ''Ask Us''. was named after the German Thale ...

, the former Swedish currency) is still used as a colloquial term for the krona in Sweden. A 20-kronor banknote is sometimes called ''selma'', referring to the portrait of

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, '' Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she wa ...

on the older version of the note. 100-kronor banknote is called hunka and is a wordplay of the word "hundring" meaning hundred, 50 is therefore halvhunka and 200 is dubbelhunka. 200 is to a lesser extent also called "gröning" (green-ing) due to the green color of the banknote, however this can be confusing as "gröning" is also a slang for a gram marijuana. 500 is referred as röding ("

salvelinus ''Salvelinus'' is a genus of salmonid fish often called char or charr; some species are called "trout". ''Salvelinus'' is a member of the subfamily Salmoninae within the family Salmonidae. The genus has a northern circumpolar distribution, and ...

"), "röd" meaning red refers to the color of the banknote. 1000 is called lax ("

Salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus '' Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Onco ...

") because the older 1000 banknotes were pink/orange like the meat of salmon, lesser used terms are: lök (onion) and lakan (sheets). 10.000 is called skjorta (shirt) however it is only used in the rich parts of Stockholm. 1.000.000 is called kanin (rabbit) and derive from the egyptian arabic term were they also call 1 million for rabbit and in more casual speech "mille" which is a shortened version of "miljon".

United Kingdom

Ready money (i.e. cash) has been referred to in the United Kingdom as "dosh" since at least 1953;

Brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...

equates this term with "paying through the nose", ''dosh'' being a Russian-Jewish prefix referring to the nose, that is, paying in cash.'Rhinocersorial', too, meaning 'Solvent, is another reference to the nose. 'George Barnwell', a poem, in the 1813 book, 'Rejected Addresses' uses it about an "Uncle" who refused "Georgy" the 'rhino'. Brewer, 1978, p.1053 "Some, as I know, Have parted with their ready rhino" – ''The Seaman's Adieu'' (1670) The phrase "ready money" has also given rise to the far more popular "readies", though there is debate as to whether this is an obvious reference to the availability of the currency or the red and white colour of the British ten shilling Treasury note of 1914. The related term "cash on the nail" is said to refer to 17th century trading stands in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

and elsewhere, over which deals were done and cash changed hands. Other general terms for money include "bread" (Cockney

'bread & honey', money; this also became dough, by derivation from the same root), "cabbage", "clam", "milk", "dosh", "dough", "shillings", "frogskins", "notes", "ducats", "loot", "bones", "bar", "coin", "folding stuff", "honk", "lampshade", "lolly", "lucre"/"filthy lucre", "moola/moolah", "mazuma", "paper", "scratch", "readies", "rhino" (

Thieves' cant Thieves' cant (also known as thieves' argot, rogues' cant, or peddler's French) is a cant, cryptolect, or argot which was formerly used by thieves, beggars, and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English- ...

), " spondulicks/spondoolic(k)s/spondulix/spondoolies" and "wonga". ''Quid'' (singular and plural) is used for

pound sterling Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...

or £, in British slang. It is thought to derive from the Latin phrase "

quid pro quo Quid pro quo ('what for what' in Latin) is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", ...

". A pound (£1) may also be referred to as a "nicker" or " nugget" (rarer). GeorgeVI Sixpence 1946

Some other pre-

decimal The decimal numeral system (also called the base-ten positional numeral system and denary or decanary) is the standard system for denoting integer and non-integer numbers. It is the extension to non-integer numbers of the Hindu–Arabic numeral ...

United Kingdom coins or denominations became commonly known by

colloquial Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conve ...

and slang terms, perhaps the most well known being "bob" for a

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence ...

. A

farthing Farthing or farthings may refer to: Coinage *Farthing (British coin), an old British coin valued one quarter of a penny ** Half farthing (British coin) ** Third farthing (British coin) ** Quarter farthing (British coin) *Farthing (English co ...

was a "mag", a silver threepence was a "joey" and the later nickel-brass threepence was called a "threepenny bit" (, or ); a sixpence was a "tanner", the two-shilling coin or florin was a "two-bob bit", the two shillings and sixpence coin or half-crown was a "half dollar" and the

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

was a "dollar". Slang terms are not generally used for the decimal coins that replaced them but in some parts of the country, "bob" continues to represent one-twentieth of a pound, that is five new pence and two bob is 10p. For all denominations "p" is used for pence. In the United Kingdom the term "shrapnel" may be used for an inconvenient pocketful of change because of the association with a

shrapnel shell Shrapnel shells were anti-personnel artillery munitions which carried many individual bullets close to a target area and then ejected them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike targets individually. They relied almo ...

and "wad", "wedge" or "wodge" for a bundle of banknotes, with "tightwad" a derogatory term for someone who is reluctant to spend money. Similar to "shrapnel" the use of "washers" in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

denotes a quantity of low value coinage. Quantities of UK 1p and 2p coins may be referred to as "Copper", 5p, 10p, 20p, and 50p coins as "Silver" and £1 and £2 coins as "Bronze" due to their colour and apparent base metal type. "Brass" is northern English slang for any amount of money. The one pound note, while still in circulation in

, was occasionally referred to as a "Sheet" and thus the ten shilling note as a "Half Sheet". More commonly the ten shilling note was a "ten bob note" or, in London, "half a bar". "As bent as a nine bob note" is or was a common colloquial phrase used to describe something or someone crooked or counterfeit, or alternatively (and now considered offensive) a gay man who is extremely

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

. In pub culture five and ten pound notes are sometimes called "blue beer tokens" and "brown beer tokens" respectively.
£5 is commonly called a "fiver", and more rarely a "Lady" (short for "

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...

") due to

or a "Deep Sea Diver" or a "Winston" from the image of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

on the back of the new note introduced in 2016
£10 is commonly known as a "tenner" or, more uncommonly, a "Darwin", due to the image of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

on the back (issued from 7 November 2000 and withdrawn from circulation on 1 March 2018). Other terms used are a "Cockle" from Cock and Hen — ten and "Ayrton", from Ayrton Senna i.e. tenner.
£15 is sometimes referred to as a Commodore as it's worth three "Ladies" (see above) after

The Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in ...

song Three Times a Lady.
£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. £20 is sometimes known as a "Bobby" from

Bobby Moore Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He most notably played for West Ham United, captaining the club for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England natio ...

(rhymes with

score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian ...

).
£25 is known as a "pony".
£50 is known as a "bullseye" (from the points value of the bullseye on a

darts Darts or dart-throwing is a competitive sport in which two or more players bare-handedly throw small sharp-pointed missiles known as darts at a round target known as a dartboard. Points can be scored by hitting specific marked areas of the bo ...

board).
£100 is sometimes referred to as a "ton" e.g. £400 would be called 4 ton. Also, a "century" or a "bill" are also used as £100 (e.g. £300 would be three bills).
£500 is known as a "monkey"
£1,000 is commonly referred to as a grand, e.g., £4,000 would be called 4 grand, or rarely in certain dialects as a "bag" (from the

"Bag of Sand"), e.g., £4,000 would be called 4 bags.
£2,000 has been known as an Archer, having been coined by

Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...

's character Alan B'stard in TV comedy

The New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

.
A "oner" (one-er) has referred to various amounts from one shilling to a pound, to now meaning £100 or £1,000, and a "big one" denoting £1,000. A "oncer" referred particularly to a one-pound note, now defunct.
In London financial culture, a billion pounds or, more often, US dollars, is referred to as a 'yard'. This derives from the old

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadl ...

word for a thousand million, a milliard, which has now been replaced by the 'short scale' name 'billion' from US English. The term 'million' for a million pounds or dollars is often dropped when it is clear from context. E.g. "He made three quid last year" would mean "He earned three million pounds".

United States

General terms include: Outdated or rarely used terms include: U.S. coinage nicknames reflect their value, composition and tradition. * The one-cent coin ($0.01 or 1¢) is commonly called a

penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

due to historical comparison with the British penny. Older U.S. pennies, prior to 1982, are sometimes called "coppers" due to being made of 95%

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

. Pennies dated 1909–1958, displaying wheat stalks on the reverse, are sometimes called "wheaties" or "wheat-backs", while 1943 steel wheat cents are sometimes nicknamed "steelies". * The five-cent coin ($0.05 or 5¢) is commonly called a

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow t ...

due to being made of 25%

since 1866. Nickels minted between 1942 and 1945 are nicknamed 'war nickels' owing to their different metal content, removing the nickel for a mixture of silver, copper and manganese. * The dime coin ($0.10 or 10¢) is worth ten cents. * The quarter coin ($0.25 or 25¢) is worth twenty-five cents. A quarter used to be called two-bits (see below), but this is falling out of use. * The

half One half ( : halves) is the irreducible fraction resulting from dividing one by two or the fraction resulting from dividing any number by its double. Multiplication by one half is equivalent to division by two, or "halving"; conversely, ...

($0.50 or 50¢) is worth fifty cents. Dimes and quarters used to be sometimes collectively referred to as "silver" due to their historic composition of 90%

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

prior to 1965. A

bit The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represente ...

is an antiquated term equal to one eighth of a dollar or cents, after the Spanish 8-Real "piece of eight" coin on which the U.S. dollar was initially based. So "two bits" is twenty-five cents; similarly, "four bits" is fifty cents. More rare are "six bits" (75 cents) and "eight bits" meaning a dollar. These are commonly referred to as two-bit, four-bit, six-bit and eight-bit. U.S. banknote nicknames reflect their values (such as five, twenty, etc.), the subjects depicted on them and their color. * $1 bill is sometimes called a "single", a "buck", a " simoleon" or rarely an "ace". The dollar has also been referred to as a "bean" or "bone" (e.g. twenty bones is equal to $20). * $2 bill is sometimes referred to as a "deuce" or a "Tom". * $5 bill has been referred to as a "fin", "fiver" or "five-spot". * $10 bill is a "

sawbuck In woodworking, a sawbuck is a structure for holding wood so that it may be cut into pieces. Easily made in the field from rough material, it consists of an "X" form at each end which are joined by cross bars below the intersections of the X's. ...

", a "ten-spot", or a "Hamilton". * $20 bill as a "Jackson", or a "dub", or a "double sawbuck". * Among horse-race gamblers, the $50 bill is called a "frog" and is considered unlucky. It is sometimes referred to as a "Grant". * $100 bill is occasionally "C-note" (C being the Roman numeral for 100, from the Latin word ''centum'') or "century note"; it can also be referred to as a "Benjamin" or "Benny" (after

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

, who is pictured on the note), or a "yard" (so $300 is "3 yards" and a $50 bill is a "half a yard"). "A stack" is $1,000 in the form of ten $100 bills, banded by a bank or otherwise. * Amounts above 1000 US dollars are occasionally referred to as "large" ("twenty large" being $20,000, etc.). In slang, a thousand dollars may also be referred to as a "grand" or "G", "K" (as in kilo), or less commonly a "stack", a "bozo", as well as a "band" . For example, "The repairs to my car cost me a couple grand" or "The repairs to my car cost me a couple fstacks". * 1,000 US dollars is called a “rack”, or rarely, a "d-note". * 10,000 US dollars is called a “stack”. * 100,000 US dollars is called a "brick" or a "honey bun". Banknotes may be collectively referred to as "dead Presidents", although neither

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charle ...

($10) nor Benjamin Franklin ($100) was President. These are also referred to as "

wallet A wallet is a flat case or pouch often used to carry small personal items such as paper currency, credit cards; identification documents such as driver's license, identification card, club card; photographs, transit pass, business cards and ...

-sized portraits of Presidents" – referring to the fact that people typically carry pictures in their wallets. One US dollar 1917

"Greenback" originally applied specifically to the 19th century Demand Note dollars created by

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

to finance the costs of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

for the North. The original note was printed in black and green on the back side. It is still used to refer to the U.S. dollar (but not to the dollars of other countries). Other more general terms for money, not specifically linked to actual banknotes: * Monetary units larger than 1 dollar are often referred to by the names of their coin counterparts: $5 is a "nickel", $10 is a "dime", and $25 is a "quarter". * A one hundred dollar bill can also be called a buck, or a "dollar", but since a buck is also used for one dollar, the context needs to be clear (this continues the pattern of referring to values by the coin counterpart). * A "hoka" is used to express a large sum of money, usually between ten thousand and fifty thousand dollars. * "honey bun" derived from the term "honey bun harden" is mainly used when referring to a hundred thousand. * A million dollars is sometimes called a "closet" or a "rock", popularized by several TV shows and movies. On ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

:'' in one episode Tony Soprano states, "So adjusting for inflation I'm looking at half a rock?" In a separate episode Soprano states: "This whole thing is going to cost me close to a rock." Another slang term for a million dollars is an "M", as used in rap songs. Financial institutions and applications will often use "MM" when writing shorthand for a million dollars, as a million is the product of the Roman numeral "M" (1000) times itself. More common usage is a "mil". * A "yard" is a financial term for one billion dollars, deriving from the French word of the same meaning, "milliard", pronounced 'mee-yard'.

References

Bibliography

External links

{{Wiktionary, dime, greenback, lucre, quid, readies
Glossary of money terms at Hemyockcastle.co.uk

Money Slang