Spondulix is 19th-century

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

for

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In book-keeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-i ...

, more specifically a reasonable amount of spending money. Spondulicks, spondoolicks, spondulacks, spondulics, and spondoolics are alternative spellings, and spondoolies is a modern variant.

Etymology

There are two views on the origin of the word.

Latin

It is possible that it could come from the Latin verb ''spondēre'', meaning "to promise". Bank notes in England and elsewhere in the 19th century stated "I promise to pay the bearer ...." (the equivalent of the value of the note). Bank notes today continue with this promise.

Greek

It has been asserted that

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

''spondulox'', which refers to a type of

seashell A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. Most seashells are made by Mollusca, mollusks, such as snails, clams, and oysters ...

from bivalves of the genus ''

Spondylus ''Spondylus'' is a genus of bivalve molluscs, the only genus in the family Spondylidae and subfamily Spondylinae. They are known in English as spiny oysters or thorny oysters (although they are not, in fact, true oysters, but are related to sc ...

''. The ''Spondylus'' shell was used as

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

jewelry and also as an early form of currency. There is global evidence of the importance of the spondylus shell.

Archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

evidence shows that people in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

were trading the shells as jewelry as long as 5,000 years ago. ''Spondylus'' shells from the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

were harvested and then worked into bracelets, bangles and ornaments and transported throughout the continent. It is thought that the shells were also traded as an early form of currency due to their

mother-of-pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother-of-pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer. It is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

-like appearance. There may also be a connection with ''spondylo-'', a prefix which means

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Spinal column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoology), ...

vertebrae Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal ...

, based on the similarity between a stack of coins and a spine. This is referenced in an 1867 book by John Mitchell Bonnell and quotes etymologist Michael Quinion's correspondence with a Doug Wilson linking the spine to piled coins; thus "Spondulics - coin piled for counting...".

Early written use

The earliest recorded occurrence of the word as slang for money appears to have been in the late 19th century in the United States. The New Oxford Dictionary of English marks the origin as US slang. However, according to the Cassell Dictionary of Slang, the term can be traced back to the mid-19th century in England. Other sources also suggest a mid-19th-century origin. The July 1852 edition of the ''Water-Cure Journal'' includes "Gossip from Indiana" by "a

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate; however, "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 ...

" which complains about "spending our spondulix." In Meister Karl's Sketch-Book (1855),

Charles Godfrey Leland Charles Godfrey Leland (August 15, 1824 – March 20, 1903) was an American humorist and folklorist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was educated at Princeton University and in Europe. Leland worked in journalism, travelled extensivel ...

includes it in a long list of synonyms for money: " . . . the magic spell of the ''ready''—otherwise known as money, cash, tin, stuff, rhino, root-of-all-evil, blunt, wherewhital, rowdy, funds, stumpy, pecuniary, dibs, hard, browns, heavy, mopusses, slugs, shiners, lucre, or 'the filthy,' dust, gelt, chips, lumps, chinkers, mint-drops, pewter, brass, horsenails, rocks, brads, spondulix, needful, dough, spoons, buttons, dimes, or the infallible . . ." The spelling "spondulicks" appeared in an 1858 edition of ''

Hutchings' Illustrated California Magazine ''Hutchings' Illustrated California Magazine'' was a magazine published between 1856 and 1861, in San Francisco, which played an important role in popularizing California in general, and to a large extent Yosemite National Park in particular. Pu ...

'': "Steve, if the Court recollects herself, then you come up with the spondulicks, and Bill Bresse tuck down Lem's pile." Louisa May Alcott's ''

Eight Cousins ''Eight Cousins, or The Aunt-Hill'' was published in 1875 by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. It was originally published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas (magazine), St. Nicholas'' and is part of the Little Women Series. It is the story of Ro ...

'' (1875) has a variant spelling in Charlie's statement that, "we have plenty of 'spondulics,' so we can rather lord it over the other fellows and do as we like." "Spondulix" is used by 19th-century American author

Bret Harte Bret Harte ( , born Francis Brett Hart, August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

in his 1891 story "A Sappho of Green Springs": "MR. EDITOR, — I see you have got my poetry in. But I don't see the spondulix that oughter follow."; in Chapter XIII of ''

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' is a picaresque novel by American author Mark Twain that was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, th ...

'', the riverboat captain tells Huck that he wouldn't forsake a sailor's life "for all ld Jim Hornback'sspondulicks and as much more..." It is also mentioned in the short story "

Ivy Day in the Committee Room "Ivy Day in the Committee Room" is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection ''Dubliners.'' Taking place in a political party office after a day of canvassing, the story depicts various campaigners discussing the political cand ...

" from the collection ''

Dubliners ''Dubliners'' is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. The stories were writ ...

'' (1914) by Irish novelist

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

. In the 1916

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

The Floorwalker ''The Floorwalker'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film, Charlie Chaplin's first Mutual Film Corporation film. The film stars Chaplin, in his traditional Tramp persona, as a customer who creates chaos in a department store and becomes ina ...

'', a

title card In films and videos, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (hence, ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred ...

proclaims "Spondulicks Forever!" after Chaplin appears to rejoice upon recovering a suitcase full of greenbacks.

References

External links