Bung is also a verb, meaning to bribe someone by giving cash. All rights reserved. Copper (term to describe the one and two pence coins). nicker = a pound (1). Skint - slang for broke, without money, penniless. Wed like to share our expertise with you. 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. Usually meaning a large amount of spending money held by a person when out enjoying themselves. These were called fob watches, and its from this expression that we get Kettle and Hob for watch. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the The slang money expression 'quid' seems first to have appeared in late 1600s England, derived from Latin (quid meaning 'what', as in 'quid pro quo' - 'something for something else'). Shortened to 'G' (usually plural form also) or less commonly 'G's'. On the front foot - meaning positive, active, attacking (from cricket). Also meant to lend a shilling, apparently used by the middle classes, presumably to avoid embarrassment. Tanner - 6d or sixpence. Britain-Visitor.com also offers information on British culture including British cuisine, history and the arts. 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. The female genitals. I am just trying to help!". Might could. foont/funt = a pound (1), from the mid-1900s, derived from the German word 'pfund' for the UK pound. dibs/dibbs = money. People commonly use this emoji to express embarrassment in an amusing way or to emphasize that they made a funny mistake. Mither - Northern word meaning pester or irritate. Kettle and Hob is Cockney slang for Watch. For Terry's detailed and fascinating explanation of the history of K see the ' K' entry on the cliches and words origins page. Pie off - to reject, dump (romantic partner). 21. Spelt the same P-O-N-Y pony actually means 25 pounds. 05. Equivalent to 12p in decimal money. (Thanks M Johnson, Jan 2008). Origin: US/UK. Gobsmacked - slang for totally surprised, shocked. 125 Australian Slang Words & Phrases. Chucking it down: If you didn't know, UK weather includes (lots of) rain with a side of rain and this expression is used often. 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). Double click on any word for its definition. And today'post is about where it all started - British Slang! Dope - Awesome. Texas slang. Referring to 500, this term is derived from the Indian 500 Rupee note of that era, which featured a monkey on one side. How many medals has Great Britain won at the Winter Olympics? Cheers - very common alternative for "thank you" or drinking toast. We use this expression a lot. Fag - cigarette, "ciggie", hence fag end (stub) and fag packet. Like so much slang, kibosh trips off the tongue easily and amusingly, which would encourage the extension of its use from prison term to money. 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. carpet = three pounds (3) or three hundred pounds (300), or sometimes thirty pounds (30). (Thanks Simon Ladd, June 2007). Shagged out - (or just shagged) tired, exhausted. 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. (source Cassells). NEET - Not in Education, Employment, or Training. 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. . Narrowboat - canal boat of long, narrow design, steered with a tiller. 'Monkey see, monkey do' refers to copying someones actions without putting much thought into it. Brummie - native of Birmingham (colloquial). Butty - a filled or open sandwich (Northern England). Bugger off . tanner = sixpence (6d). Half a dollar - half a crown. Dib was also US slang meaning $1 (one dollar), which presumably extended to more than one when pluralised. Baccy - tobacco, usually rolling tobacco. 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). Brilliant Queen mum- Cockney rhyming slang for bum. daddler/dadla/dadler = threepenny bit (3d), and also earlier a farthing (quarter of an old penny, d), from the early 1900s, based on association with the word tiddler, meaning something very small. If someone has the cheddar, it means they must be making bank. gelt/gelter = money, from the late 1600s, with roots in foreign words for gold, notably German and Yiddish (Jewish European/Hebrew dialect) gelt, and Dutch and South African geld. Barmy. "Some silver will do." Cheeky monkey is an expression we use when someone is being mischievous and playful. An example of erroneous language becoming real actual language through common use. McGarrett = fifty pounds (50). Easy-peasy - very straightforward and easy. 'Half a job' was half a guinea. Take a look at these English expressions involving monkeys. Lolly - a lollipop or ice candy; money (slang). Other slang terms: Fiver = 5, Lady Godiva (Cockney rhyming slang for a fiver) = 5, Tenner = 10, Pony = 25, Half a ton = 50, Ton = 100, Monkey = 500, Grand = 1000. 'More fun than a barrel of monkeys' means to have a lot of fun. We assure you, it's no monkey business! Doss - sleep in rough accommodation or in an improvised bed, spend time idly. ". Mispronunciation of sovs, short for sovereigns. Dont believe us?Watch this! Spruce probably mainly refers to spruce beer, made from the shoots of spruce fir trees which is made in alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties. Play it by ear - proceed instinctively according to circumstances. He had been visiting an area zoo when a monkey swung from its tree perch, swiped his glasses and hurled them into a . Pletty (plettie) - Dundonian slang for an open-air communal landing in a block of tenement flats. Try English Trackers' professional editing and rewriting service. I'm propa paggered - i'm really tired. boodle = money. Berties - term for Man City fans used by Man Utd supporters; the reverse is "rags". Another suggestion (Ack P Bessell) is that pony might derive from the Latin words 'legem pone', which (according to the etymology source emtymonline.com) means, ".. 'payment of money, cash down,' [which interpretation apparently first appeared in] 1573, from first two words [and also the subtitle] of the fifth division of Psalm cxix [Psalm 119, verses 33 to 48, from the Bible's Old Testament], which begins the psalms at Matins on the 25th of the month; consequently associated with March 25, a quarter day in the old financial calendar, when payments and debts came due." The words 'Legem pone' do not translate literally into monetary meaning, in the Psalm they words actully seem to equate to 'Teach me..' which is the corresponding phrase in the King James edition of the Bible. Paddy - temper fit, an Irishman (derogatory). monkey (plural monkeys) . * /There is [] A Dictionary of American Idioms monkey Pre-decimal farthings, ha'pennies and pennies were 97% copper (technically bronze), and would nowadays be worth significantly more than their old face value because copper has become so much more valuable. monkey meaning: 1. an animal that lives in hot countries, has a long tail, and climbs trees. knicker = distortion of 'nicker', meaning 1. Chav - derogatory term for member of the "lower classes". From cockney rhyming slang clodhopper (= copper). Bice could also occur in conjunction with other shilling slang, where the word bice assumes the meaning 'two', as in 'a bice of deaners', pronounced 'bicerdeaners', and with other money slang, for example bice of tenners, pronounced 'bicertenners', meaning twenty pounds. Boob tube - tight-fitting strapless top made of stretchy material. In the US a ned was a ten dollar gold coin, and a half-ned was a five dollar coin. Bags (to make a bags of something) Bang on. 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. Red Top - tabloid newspaper such as The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Star. 2. the fur of certain long-haired monkeys. Brass Monkey Weather. How much money does a monkey cost? This has confusing and convoluted origins, from as early as the late 1800s: It seems originally to have been a slang term for a three month prison sentence, based on the following: that 'carpet bag' was cockney rhyming slang for a 'drag', which was generally used to describe a three month sentence; also that in the prison workshops it supposedly took ninety days to produce a certain regulation-size piece of carpet; and there is also a belief that prisoners used to be awarded the luxury of a piece of carpet for their cell after three year's incarceration. Bro: just like "mate" in the UK, "bro" means friend . mill = a million dollars or a million pounds. Backslang reverses the phonetic (sound of the) word, not the spelling, which can produce some strange interpretations, and was popular among market traders, butchers and greengrocers. Gobsmacked. 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. ned = a guinea. Derived from the 500 Rupee banknote, which featured a monkey. Aussie Salute - Wave to scare the flies. What does pony mean in British slang? E.g." It was a great holiday, we just sat around cabbaging, topping up our tans and drinking cocktails." 2. British slang & colloquialisms: see an A-Z listing of British slang, colloquialisms and dialect words and phrases including Cockney rhyming phrases. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. bender = sixpence (6d) Another slang term with origins in the 1800s when the coins were actually solid silver, from the practice of testing authenticity by biting and bending the coin, which would being made of near-pure silver have been softer than the fakes. Totty - (uncountable) sexually attractive women considered collectively (sexist and offensive). British slang and dialect is rich and diverse. 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. From the fact that a ton is a measurement of 100 cubic feet of capacity (for storage, loading, etc). Dogging - slang for engaging in sexual acts in a public or semi-public place or watching others doing so. To make a monkey out of someone means to make someone look silly. 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. (Thanks Simon Ladd, Jun 2007), coppers = pre-decimal farthings, ha'pennies and pennies, and to a lesser extent 1p and 2p coins since decimalisation, and also meaning a very small amount of money. A person who is easily deceived or victimized: butt, dupe, fool, gull, lamb, pushover, victim. In his stand-up show, British comedian Michael MacIntyre said: "You can actually use any word in the English language and substitute it to mean drunk. ", "You know John is not telling the truth about the price of his car. A popular slang word like bob arguably develops a life of its own. Dodgy - suspicious, of questionable quality (slang). marygold/marigold = a million pounds (1,000,000). In addition, Britain-specific words are included. Possibly rhyming slang linking lollipop to copper. Scouser - native of Liverpool (colloquial). "Did you just whistle at that old lady? Lit - Amazing or exciting. Initially London slang, especially for a fifty pound note. Also find guides to Britain's transport system including roads, trains, buses and airports. In this sort of dipping or dibbing, a dipping rhyme would be spoken, coinciding with the pointing or touchung of players in turn, eliminating the child on the final word, for example: dinarly/dinarla/dinaly = a shilling (1/-), from the mid-1800s, also transferred later to the decimal equivalent 5p piece, from the same roots that produced the 'deaner' shilling slang and variations, i.e., Roman denarius and then through other European dinar coins and variations. Initially suggested (Mar 2007) by a reader who tells me that the slang term 'biscuit', meaning 100, has been in use for several years, notably in the casino trade (thanks E). Hump - sexual intercourse, or as in "get the hump" - get annoyed, in a bad mood. Rank - bad, horrible or smells unpleasant. noun. 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