Slang words for money

[yanx]

Hi,

There are many slang words for money, such as:

dosh, dough, foldable-stuff, greenback, moolah, notes, readies, and smackers,etc.

Which are commonly or usually used in daily life? And what are the differences between them?

Thank you !

 

[5jj]

So much depends on who is using the terms and in what contexts. Some of the examples you give appear dated to me, but thay may not appear so to others.

 

[yanx]

So much depends on who is using the terms and in what contexts. Some of the examples you give appear dated to me, but thay may not appear so to others.

Thank you!, but which would you possibly prefer to use when you speak? Or you have your own choice, please kindly explain. Ta!

 

[emsr2d2]

Personally, I use "dosh" and "wonga" though I wouldn't use the latter very often. I have no idea if those are regional, or even if they're only used in BrE.

 

[5jj]

Personally, I use "dosh" and "wonga" though I wouldn't use the latter very often. I have no idea if those are regional, or even if they're only used in BrE.

I hve never heard 'wonga'. I am the boring sort of person who refers to 'money' as 'money'.

 

[Tdol]

Wonga was popular a few years ago, but has gone again, though it's been around for a long time. I think it may have come back with the attempted coup by Simon Mann as they had a wonga list.

Spondoolies/spondoolas/spondoolicks (or spondulicks, etc)were also doing the rounds a while back.

I haven't heard a new term for a while. Maybe it's because no one in the UK has any money at the moment.

 

[TheParser]

ONLY A NON-TEACHER'S OPINION

Some years ago in the United States, some people started to call paper money "dead presidents"

because some denominations have pictures of deceased presidents ($1 bill has President Washington;

$5 bill has President Lincoln; $20 bill has President Jackson; $50 bill has President Grant. I cannot

tell you about the other denominations, for I am a poor person who has never seen higher

denominations). But this slang word did not last very long. For some reason, it never "caught on"

(become popular).

 

[yanx]

ONLY A NON-TEACHER'S OPINION

Some years ago in the United States, some people started to call paper money "dead presidents"

because some denominations have pictures of deceased presidents ($1 bill has President Washington;

$5 bill has President Lincoln; $20 bill has President Jackson; $50 bill has President Grant. I cannot

tell you about the other denominations, for I am a poor person who has never seen higher

denominations). But this slang word did not last very long. For some reason, it never "caught on"

(become popular).

Thank you for your explanation!

 

[emsr2d2]

I think "wonga" is making a bit of a comeback, partly due to the dreadful money-lending website "Wonga.com" which advertises every 10 minutes on daytime TV (er, or so I'm told! ;-) )

 

[Tdol]

ONLY A NON-TEACHER'S OPINION

Some years ago in the United States, some people started to call paper money "dead presidents"

because some denominations have pictures of deceased presidents ($1 bill has President Washington;

$5 bill has President Lincoln; $20 bill has President Jackson; $50 bill has President Grant. I cannot

tell you about the other denominations, for I am a poor person who has never seen higher

denominations). But this slang word did not last very long. For some reason, it never "caught on"

(become popular).

Isn't a hundred-dollar bill called a Benjamin? That's what I heard, though I've never been to the States and have never heard it used.

 

[TheParser]

Isn't a hundred-dollar bill called a Benjamin? That's what I heard, though I've never been to the States and have never heard it used.

ONLY A NON-TEACHER'S OPINION


(1) I cannot answer your question, for I never handle $100 bills.

(2) Hopefully, one of my more prosperous compatriots will let you and me know.

 

[emsr2d2]

Ah, yes, spondoolies (as mentioned in a previous post). One of my friends uses that all the time. I was never sure how it was spelt!

 

[Rover_KE]

Apparently, the recommended spelling is spondulicks.

Rover

 

[Ouisch]

Isn't a hundred-dollar bill called a Benjamin? That's what I heard, though I've never been to the States and have never heard it used.

Yes, but this is more commonly used as urban street slang. Slang terms for money that are commonly used in AmE by both business executives and struggling students shopping at the dollar store are:

Buck or single (as in "Can you give me five singles for this fiver?) - $1 bill
Fiver or Fin - $5 bill

Cash, dough, bucks are all common synonyms for money: "He got a promotion and was bringing in the big bucks" or "He was raking in the dough for a while until he got busted."

Also, "K" is both a verbal and written abbreviation for "thousand" in terms of dollars - "He was earning $250K (pronounced: two hundred and fifty K) at his last job but he gave it all up to work for the Peace Corps."

Another slang term for "thousand dollars" is "G", as in "This car cost me 30 G's, but it was worth it."
Actually, "G" is an abbreviation for "grand", which is another common slang term for one thousand dollars: "I can either put a few patches on your roof for $500 which will temporarily stop the leaks, or I can install a whole new roof for three grand ($3,000) which will guarantee no leaks for the next 20 years."