coal = a penny (1d). Also referred to money generally, from the late 1600s, when the slang was based simply on a metaphor of coal being an essential commodity for life.
An Australian shilling, like its British counterpart, was commonly referred to as a "bob", and the florin was consequently known as "two bob". Similarly, one Australian pound was colloquially described as a "quid", "fiddly", or "saucepan", the latter as rhyming slang for "saucepan lid/quid".
If someone says that they are going to spend a penny, they mean that they are going to go to the toilet.
"C-note" is a slang term for a $100 banknote in U.S. currency. The "C" in C-note refers to the Roman numeral for 100, which was printed on $100 bills, and it can also refer to a century. The term came to prominence in the 1920s and 1930s, and it was popularized in a number of gangster films.
Pounds, shillings, and pence
The coinage used in Victorian Britain had been much the same for three hundred years and was based on a system which had existed for more than a millennium. It lasted until 1971 when the currency was finally decimalised and the pound was divided into 100 smaller units.
Moola (or moolah)
This is another age-old slang term for money, but nobody seems to really know where it originated. Merriam-Webster says the word was first used to mean money in 1936.
'Bob a nob', in the early 1800s meant 'a shilling a head', when estimating costs of meals, etc. In the 18th century 'bobstick' was a shillings-worth of gin. In parts of the US 'bob' was slang used for the US dollar coin.
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.
The British empire's control of India led to a number of phrases making their way across from the Raj to our shores, with a 'monkey' perhaps the most famous. Referring to £500, this term is derived from the Indian 500 Rupee note of that era, which featured a monkey on one side.
Among other changes, the Japanese regime introduced a new currency. Pre-war British currency remained legal tender but rapidly vanished from the open market, and by 1943 the economy operated on Japanese currency, commonly referred to as “banana” money because the ten-dollar note featured a banana plant.
When put to the people of East London, the most popular enduring Cockney rhyming slang included 'pie and mash' (cash), 'Lady Godiva' (fiver), and 'Nelson Eddy's' (readies). 'Bread and honey' and 'bees and honey' were neck and neck in the race for 'money', with 'bees and honey' or 'bees' for short, coming out on top.
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. 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).
For those unfamiliar with social networking site Bebo piff means good, pee is money and pinky is £50.
Australia's colourful bank notes are known by many colloquial names. The twenty-dollar note is referred to as a lobster, while the fifty-dollar note is called a pineapple, and don't we all want to get our hands on a few jolly green giants, that is, hundred-dollar notes?
In Australia, the Five Dollar note alone has at least fourteen nicknames. Like in the UK, it is called a “fiver”, but other names include “a Fairy Floss”, a “Galah”, a “Skydiver”, a “Pink Lady”, or a “Pink Snapper”.
Where bread was the traditional everyday necessity of life in the 19th Century, to earn one's living was to earn one's bread, therefore bread became synonymous with money. When people had little else, they always had bread.
Originally, a Rack was a stack of $100 bills that total $10,000,but due to the frequency of the use of Rack in songs like 'Racks on Racks' and *'Rack City', most people refer to $1,000 as a Rack.
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. 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).
(Don't forget, Australian slang is closely related to Cockney slang for obvious historical reasons). Elise from Australia tells us:"A $20 is a LobsterA $50 is a pineappleA $100 is a spot$500 a monkey$1000 a gorilla.
A 'bob' was the slang word for a Shilling, which was worth 12 old pennies. Following decimilisation in 1971, a Shilling was worth 5 new pence. The old 'ten bob note' (10 shillings) was the equivalent of 5 Florins, or 4 Half Crowns, or 2 Crowns. After decimilisation, it was worth 50p.
Two bits became an informal way of referring to the value of the 25-cent coin known as the quarter. It then came to be used in a general way meaning a small amount.
Бабки [babki] – “Money”
The literal, somewhat rude meaning is “grandmas”, but the actual meaning is usually “money” or “bucks”.
In Cockney slang "pony" means 25 £ which is "25 pounds sterling" or just "25 pounds" in common British usage.
GBP is the abbreviation for the British pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom and its territories.