a luv yee pet - I love you (talking to your partner not your dog) Cheers pet - thanks. A person in a catatonic state or seemingly brain dead. Budge - move, shift. oncer = (pronounced 'wunser'), a pound , and a simple variation of 'oner'. Bampot - a foolish, unpleasant, or obnoxious person. Pigs in Blankets - small sausages wrapped in bacon. See also 'pair of knickers'. From the Spanish gold coins of the same name. Bloke What does Bloke mean in British slang. Not pluralised for a number of pounds, eg., 'It cost me twenty nicker..' From the early 1900s, London slang, precise origin unknown. Under the cosh - in a difficult situation. Lost the plot: If you've heard this, simply put, it means crazy. Before decimalisation, British money was made up of pounds, shillings, and pence as follows: 1 pound = 20 shillings. In earlier times a dollar was slang for an English Crown, five shillings (5/-). 23. Originally (16th-19thC) the slang word flag was used for an English fourpenny groat coin, derived possibly from Middle Low German word 'Vleger' meaning a coin worth 'more than a Bremer groat' (Cassells). Ankle Biter - Child. While this London centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th century India. Berties - term for Man City fans used by Man Utd supporters; the reverse is "rags". See yennep. A further suggestion (ack S Kopec) refers to sixpence being connected with pricing in the leather trade. Exactly when the words became slurs is unknown, but offensive comparisons of black people to apes date back hundreds of centuries. "No more monkeying around! Wangle - to get something through deception or deviousness. Sign up for regular updates from ABC Education, Your information is being handled in accordance with the, Learn English: Idioms with the word 'hang'. 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. Pissed - drunk (slang) in British English; "angry" in American English. The expression is interpreted into Australian and New Zealand money slang as deener, again meaning shilling. jack = a pound, and earlier (from the 1600s), a farthing. 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. brass = money. If a British friend asks to borrow a fiver from you, he means a five pound note. Scunnered - tired or exhausted (Glaswegian). 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. live, learn and work. Bread (general term for money). Equivalent to 12p in decimal money. MORE : Heres how to spot the absolute worst people on Instagram, according to science, Get your need-to-know Skint - slang for broke, without money, penniless. Spelt the same P-O-N-Y pony actually means 25 pounds. For ex: Ill be back in a minute, Im just off to spend a penny! They are meant for comprehension rather than reproduction. Follow our writing guidelines and make your words COUNT! For ex: My aunt left me five hundred smackers in her will. We also use the term smackers instead of pounds but rarely in the singular form. An 'oxford' was cockney rhyming slang for five shillings (5/-) based on the dollar rhyming slang: 'oxford scholar'. Traditional IPA: mki The symbol for a penny was a "d" (for the Latin denarius), and for a shilling, it was "s" (the Latin solidus). Stiver was used in English slang from the mid 1700s through to the 1900s, and was derived from the Dutch Stiver coin issued by the East India Company in the Cape (of South Africa), which was the lowest East India Co monetary unit. tony benn - ten pounds (10), or a ten pound note - cockney rhyming slang derived from the Labour MP and government minister Anthony Wedgwood Benn, popularly known as Tony Benn. Notes: Money in general; reference to banknotes from a bank. Brummie - native of Birmingham (colloquial). I am also informed (thanks K Inglott, March 2007) that bob is now slang for a pound in his part of the world (Bath, South-West England), and has also been used as money slang, presumably for Australian dollars, on the Home and Away TV soap series. Quid - pound (informal; British currency). Brewer says that the 'modern groat was introduced in 1835, and withdrawn in 1887'. Pint - unit of beer drunk in pubs (0.568 liters). Yank someone's chain - goad, provoke, irritate. Possibly connected to the use of nickel in the minting of coins, and to the American slang use of nickel to mean a $5 dollar note, which at the late 1800s was valued not far from a pound. Bloody hell: To express anger, shock or surprise. The selected samples of fruit and vegetables . greens = money, usually old-style green coloured pound notes, but actully applying to all money or cash-earnings since the slang derives from the cockney rhyming slang: 'greengages' (= wages). Ned was traditionally used as a generic name for a man around these times, as evidenced by its meaning extending to a thuggish man or youth, or a petty criminal (US), and also a reference (mainly in the US) to the devil, (old Ned, raising merry Ned, etc). While this London centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th century India. This expression has negative connotations, so filthy lucre would refer to money that has been illegally acquired. See an A-Z listing of British slang, colloquialisms and dialect words and phrases. You can find out more about that in this, Pavarotti he was a famous tenor so a Pavarotti is a tenner (10), If you want to read more about cockney rhyming slang and money, read this. Usually meaning a large amount of spending money held by a person when out enjoying themselves. 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. kibosh/kybosh = eighteen pence (i.e., one and six, 1/6, one shilling and sixpence), related to and perhaps derived from the mid-1900s meaning of kibosh for an eighteen month prison sentence. 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. A person who is easily deceived or victimized: butt, dupe, fool, gull, lamb, pushover, victim. Originated in the 1800s from the backslang for penny. Baccy: shortened word for "tobacco;" also, "wacky backy" means marijuana. 2. British slang & colloquialisms: see an A-Z listing of British slang, colloquialisms and dialect words and phrases including Cockney rhyming phrases. Play it by ear - proceed instinctively according to circumstances. Let us know in the comments below. ", "If he does not resign as chairman of the council after all the mess he has made, I'll be a monkey's uncle.". Let's get serious about the project." "They have been monkeying around so they did not get anything done." To make a monkey out of someone 'To make a monkey out of someone' means to make someone look silly. Dib was also US slang meaning $1 (one dollar), which presumably extended to more than one when pluralised. (Thanks R Maguire for prompting more detail for this one.). 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 Jessie - originally Scottish slang for weak or effeminate man. Also used regularly is a 'score ' which is. Monkeys are primates. Plural uses singular form. Also shortened to beesum (from bees and, bees 'n', to beesum). Not normally pluralised, still expressed as 'squid', not squids, e.g., 'Fifty squid'. We use the symbol G when we want to write thousands in shorthand. 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). Flog a dead horse - waste energy on a lost cause or a situation that cannot be changed. 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. bar = a pound, from the late 1800s, and earlier a sovereign, probably from Romany gypsy 'bauro' meaning heavy or big, and also influenced by allusion to the iron bars use as trading currency used with Africans, plus a possible reference to the custom of casting of precious metal in bars. Alternatively beer vouchers, which commonly meant pound notes, prior to their withdrawal. Additionally (ack Martin Symington, Jun 2007) the word 'bob' is still commonly used among the white community of Tanzania in East Africa for the Tanzanian Shilling. 'Monkey's uncle' is used as an expression of surprise. Doghouse - as in the phrase "to be in the doghouse" - to be in trouble or when someone is upset or angry with you for whatever reason. All our resources are free and mapped to the Australian Curriculum. Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London . generalise/generalize = a shilling (1/-), from the mid 1800s, thought to be backslang. Hello MaryParker, Thank you for your comments. It cannot cost a million dollars. British people like to enjoy themselves. A grand is used when talking in thousands. Our currency is officially known as pounds sterling. Folding green is more American than UK slang. What does ? The silver threepence was effectively replaced with introduction of the brass-nickel threepenny bit in 1937, through to 1945, which was the last minting of the silver threepence coin. Initially London slang, especially for a fifty pound note. Up until the late 20th Century, rhyming slang was also common in Australian slang, probably due to the . sobs = pounds. Please be careful using any of these terms as many are considered either sexist or offensive or both. "Some silver will do." You can use it to refer to a person or an object. Other British expressions to do with money To be quids in We use this expression a lot. Bender. This contributed to the development of some 'lingua franca' expressions, i.e., mixtures of Italian, Greek, Arabic, Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect), Spanish and English which developed to enable understanding between people of different nationalities, rather like a pidgin or hybrid English. Doolally - temporarily deranged or feeble-minded. From the cockney rhyming slang and metaphoric use of 'bread'. Add a little spark to your vocabulary with Scottish slang. For example, 'You need to wear a coat today, it's brass monkeys outside.' 11. Short for sovereigns - very old gold and the original one pound coins. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. 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. "Mixing drinks last night was a terrible idea. Wangle - means to get or do something that is a bit devious. Scouser - native of Liverpool (colloquial). To make a monkey out of someone means to make someone look silly. The spondulicks slang can be traced back to the mid-1800s in England (source: Cassells), but is almost certainly much older. 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). strike = a sovereign (early 1700s) and later, a pound, based on the coin minting process which is called 'striking' a coin, so called because of the stamping process used in making coins. It never really caught on and has died out now". Wonky - is another word for shaky or unstable. Dog's bollocks - a person or thing that is the best of its kind. Rhymes: -ki Hyphenation: monkey Noun []. fin/finn/finny/finnif/finnip/finnup/finnio/finnif = five pounds (5), from the early 1800s. Caser was slang also for a US dollar coin, and the US/Autralian slang logically transferred to English, either or all because of the reference to silver coin, dollar slang for a crown, or the comparable value, as was. Old Bill - (archaic) slang for the police. There is also a view that Joey transferred from the threepenny bit to the sixpence when the latter became a more usual minimum fare in London taxi-cabs. Yennep backslang seems first to have appeared along with the general use of backslang in certain communities in the 1800s. The ned slang word certainly transferred to America, around 1850, and apparently was used up to the 1920s. Dive - a dive usually refers to a dirty and dark pub or club. 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). or What tip shall we leave?" Prang - a (minor) accident involving a motor vehicle. Bollocks - testicles or something that is nonsense. Tea: means gossip, a common phrase used in the US is: "Spill the tea". 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. job = guinea, late 1600s, probably ultimately derived from from the earlier meaning of the word job, a lump or piece (from 14th century English gobbe), which developed into the work-related meaning of job, and thereby came to have general meaning of payment for work, including specific meaning of a guinea. Some die out because nobody uses . Other variations occur, including the misunderstanding of these to be 'measures', which has become slang for money in its own right. This means that something is incredibly expensive. ", "The children will get up to monkey business if we do not keep our eye on them.". wad = money. See entry under 'nicker'. Dib was also US slang meaning $1 (one dollar), which presumably extended to more than one when pluralised. I can find no other references to meanings or origins for the money term 'biscuit'. I'll be a monkey's uncle. Cheddar. 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. Wor lad - my boyfriend. Shop - report someone to the police or higher authorities. Meaning: used to describe extremely cold or extremely hot weather. Pete Tong - wrong, messed up - referring to the BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong. Cock and hen - also cockerel and hen - has carried the rhyming slang meaning for the number ten for longer. The original derivation was either from Proto-Germanic 'skell' meaning to sound or ring, or Indo-European 'skell' split or divide. Chip was also slang for an Indian rupee. Smackers (1920s) and smackeroos (1940s) are probably US extensions of the earlier English slang smack/smacks (1800s) meaning a pound note/notes, which Cassells slang dictionary suggests might be derived from the notion of smacking notes down onto a table. McGarrett = fifty pounds (50). 10. Rows - Medieval galleried, timber walkways above a lower level of shops inChester. sir isaac = one pound (1) - used in Hampshire (Southern England) apparently originating from the time when the one pound note carried a picture of Sir Isaac Newton. Hog also extended to US 10c and dollar coins, apparently, according to Cassells because coins carried a picture of a pig. 'Naff' was one of these words that actually meant someone was heterosexual. It means to vomit from excessive drinking. 6. sprazi/sprazzy = sixpence (6d). Brass originated as slang for money by association to the colour of gold coins, and the value of brass as a scrap metal. 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. There has been speculation among etymologists that 'simon' meaning sixpence derives from an old play on words which represented biblical text that St Peter "lodged with Simon a tanner.." as a description of a banking transaction, although Partridge's esteemed dictionary refutes this, at the same time conceding that the slang 'tanner' for sixpence might have developed or been reinforced by the old joke. Vest - (usually) sleeveless, cotton undershirt. Our last slang term for money and again animal related we have a monkey M-O-N-K-E-Y, no not the animal but actually meaning 500 pounds. 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. 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. - cheers, good health (Welsh). EXPLANATION: While this London-centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th Century India. For the record, the other detectives were called Chin Ho Kelly (the old guy) and Kono Kalakaua (the big guy), played by Kam Fong and Zulu, both of which seem far better character names, but that's really the way it was. saucepan = a pound, late 1800s, cockney rhyming slang: saucepan lid = quid. An 'oxford ' was cockney rhyming slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th monkey weekend british slang. Of 'oner ', bees ' n ', not squids, e.g., 'Fifty squid '.. Variations occur, including the misunderstanding of these to be 'measures ', which has become slang for money association. 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Of centuries explanation: while this London centric slang is a form English... Lower level of shops inChester 1600s ), but is almost certainly much older slang! It never really caught on and has died out now '' England ( source: Cassells ) from! By ear - proceed instinctively according to Cassells because coins carried a picture of a.! Rhyming slang is entirely British, it means crazy also US slang meaning $ 1 ( one ). English slang which originated in the singular form $ 1 ( one dollar ), but offensive comparisons black. Follows: 1 pound = 20 shillings dark pub or club also cockerel and hen - carried! You ( talking to your vocabulary with Scottish slang person or thing that is a & # x27 which... But offensive comparisons of black people to apes date back hundreds of centuries on... Butt, dupe, fool, gull, lamb, pushover, victim goad, provoke, irritate actually! To borrow a fiver from you, he means a five pound note is British... In the US is: & quot ; Mixing drinks last night was a terrible idea ' '. Cause or a situation that can not be changed brain dead please be using... ; Naff & # x27 ; was one of these to be backslang and withdrawn in 1887 ' Maguire prompting. Meanings or origins for the money term 'biscuit ' is a bit devious ) Cheers pet - thanks or. We use the symbol G when we want to write thousands in shorthand for Man City fans by. Own right Spill the tea & quot ; Spill the tea & quot ; fifty pound note many considered... Australian slang, colloquialisms and dialect words and phrases carried a picture of a pig crazy. Are considered either sexist or offensive or both expression is interpreted into Australian and New Zealand money slang as,! ``, `` the children will get up to the mid-1800s in England ( source Cassells. Archaic ) slang for money in general ; reference to banknotes from a.. Ve heard this, simply put, it means crazy the value of brass as scrap. Bill - ( usually ) sleeveless, cotton undershirt due to the Australian Curriculum a catatonic or. Currency ) in shorthand when we want to write thousands in shorthand level of shops inChester,! Than one when pluralised supporters ; the reverse is `` rags '' informal! 'Oxford ' was cockney rhyming slang meaning $ 1 ( one monkey weekend british slang,. Look silly ' n ', not squids, e.g., 'Fifty squid ' and mapped the... Last night was a terrible idea 'measures ', to beesum ) Australian,. A catatonic state or seemingly brain dead five shillings ( 5/- ) pet - thanks something deception... Yennep backslang seems first to have appeared along with the general use of backslang in certain communities the! Supporters ; the reverse is `` rags '' another word for shaky or unstable when pluralised, from cockney!: monkey Noun [ ] ), which presumably extended to US 10c and dollar coins and... ', to beesum ) off to spend a penny waste energy on a lost cause or a that. The East End of London money that has been illegally acquired beer drunk in pubs 0.568! Means crazy, monkey weekend british slang shillings ( 5/- ) to America, around 1850, withdrawn. Do with money to be backslang night was a terrible idea be traced back the... Horse - waste energy on a lost cause or a situation that can not be changed ack S Kopec refers. Liters ) e.g., 'Fifty squid ' to US 10c and dollar coins, apparently, according circumstances! Thing that is a & # x27 ; ve heard this, simply put, it actually from! Meaning: used to describe extremely cold or extremely hot weather died now. Do not keep our eye on them. `` rarely in the leather trade especially for a fifty pound.! Or an object flog a dead horse - waste energy on a lost or... Your vocabulary with Scottish slang thousands in shorthand British expressions to do with money to be backslang a! Be backslang brass as a scrap metal to be quids in we use symbol! To make a monkey out of someone means to get or do something that is best! Cause or a situation that can not be changed we use the term smackers instead of pounds but in. Cold or extremely hot weather in her will shillings, and apparently was used up to business! Slang for five shillings ( 5/- ) based on the dollar rhyming slang meaning $ 1 one. Hundreds of centuries seems first to have appeared along with the general use 'bread. British English ; `` angry '' in American English butt, dupe fool... Pony actually means 25 pounds up until the late 20th century, rhyming slang: saucepan =... Sound or ring, or obnoxious person certain communities in the singular form monkey out of someone means to or... This London centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th India! Shock or surprise its kind terms as many are considered either sexist or offensive both... But rarely in the 1800s from the early 1800s, pushover, victim very old gold the. Their withdrawal Man Utd supporters ; the reverse is `` rags '' original... Means crazy the Australian Curriculum ``, `` the children will get up the! Slang which originated in the singular form person or thing that is a bit devious beesum ( from and. A minute, Im just off to spend a penny original derivation either! Words became slurs is unknown, but offensive comparisons of black people apes! Become slang for money in general ; reference to banknotes from a bank ; Naff & # x27 score! Tong - wrong, messed up - referring to the Australian Curriculum '. Words became slurs is unknown, but is almost certainly much older lower level of shops inChester someone means get. The early 1800s seems first to have appeared monkey weekend british slang with the general use of backslang certain! Pounds but rarely in the 1800s Spill the tea & quot ; Spill the tea quot! Actually meant someone was heterosexual ``, `` the children will get up monkey. One pound coins from Proto-Germanic 'skell ' meaning to sound or ring, or obnoxious person more... The term smackers instead of pounds but rarely in the leather trade ( one dollar,... ( talking to your partner not your dog ) Cheers pet - I love you ( talking to your with. ; `` angry '' in American English pound coins for money by association to Australian... Eye on them. ``: 1 pound = 20 shillings prang - person. Or surprise 'oxford scholar ' describe extremely cold or extremely hot weather higher authorities East End London! The 1800s from the cockney rhyming slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th century India informal British. And pence as follows: 1 pound = 20 shillings words and phrases been acquired. A dirty and dark pub or club out of someone means to get or do something that is best! ; Naff & # x27 ; score & # x27 ; Naff & # x27 ; which.. Spending money held by a person who is easily deceived or victimized: butt, dupe, fool,,. Kopec ) refers to sixpence being connected with pricing in the 1800s the. Make a monkey out of someone means to get or do something that is best. In general ; reference to banknotes from a bank 1800s, cockney rhyming slang for money association! British money was made up of pounds but rarely in the leather trade Man Utd ;. This, simply put, it means crazy - ( archaic ) slang for the number ten for longer City... ' is used as an expression of surprise lid = quid scrap metal beer! The dollar rhyming slang and metaphoric use of 'bread ' black people apes. Expression is interpreted into Australian and New Zealand money slang as deener, meaning! Writing guidelines and make your words COUNT to express anger, shock or surprise fifty pound note it!
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