English Vocabulary – Money Slang

Did you know that a 5 dollar note has 8 slang names? You can call it a “five dollar note”, or you could call it “Fairy Floss”, “Galah”, “Skydiver”, “Pink Lady”, “Pink Snapper”, “Prawn”, “Piglet” & “Rasher”.

Well, today we will look at 5 common slang words for the word “money”. Let us know if you know of any more! 

1. Brass

Origin – UK

Meaning – “Brass” is northern English slang for any amount of money. It’s derived from “Where there’s muck, there’s brass”, in reference to scrap dealers.

This rough and ready phrase comes from the working-class northern English towns of the last century, where many people earned a living dealing with waste materials, giving birth to the expression “where’s there’s muck, there’s brass” – quite simply, brass could be found among the scrap and sold for profit!

2. Buck

Origin – US

Meaning – One dollar. Derived from Pioneer times, when deer (or ‘buck’) skins were used as currency.

Derived from 18th Century, pioneer-era America when buck (deer) skins were used as currency, a ‘buck’ is slang for one dollar, and has survived into the modern day, where it’s still one of the most common terms used to describe money in the USA.

3. Monkey

Origin – UK via India

Meaning – London slang for £500. Derived from the 500 Rupee banknote, which featured a monkey.

While this London-centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th Century India. 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. Although the ape has since been replaced, the phrase lives on.

4. Quid

Origin – UK

Meaning – One British Pound. Derived from the Latin Quid Pro Quo, meaning ‘one thing in exchange for another’.

Perhaps the most famous British example on our list, the word ‘quid’ refers to a pound, and comes from the well-known Latin phrase ‘quid pro quo’ – literally ‘something for something’ – and describes the basic nature of using currency to buy items.

5. Wonga

Origin – UK

Meaning – Slang for money. Derived from the Romani Wongar, meaning ‘coal’, which itself was used as slang for money in the 18th and 19th century.

‘Wonga’ – a corruption of the British Romani word for coal, ‘wongar’ – is used so frequently in Britain that it’s even been borrowed by the country’s most notorious loan company. Interestingly, the word ‘coal’ was itself a slang phrase for currency in the 18th and 19th Century, emphasising this unusual term’s long history!

Thanks, GoCompare for sharing these fantastic images and information!