Slang Terms For US Bills

[Chez Guevara]

The short stories of Damon Runyon feature a panoply of slang terms, most of which can be easily understood when taken within the context of the tale being told.

The exception to this rule is the range of colloquialisms used for US bills. Those Runyon employs are:

$1 - a buck, a bob
$2 - a deuce
$5 - a finnif, a fin, a pound note
$10 - a sawbuck, a saw
$20 - a double sawbuck, a double saw
$50 - half a yard, half a C (note)
$100 - a yard, a C (note)
$1000 - a grand, a G (note)

The etymology of most of these terms is easily found but I am curious to know the origin of 'yard', and also the provenance of 'large' which, according to my viewing of The Sopranos et al, seems to have ranged alongside 'grand' (and 'K') as an alternative to $1,000. I know the first use of 'large' dates from the 1970s and my guess is that the word refers to the size of the bill.

Furthermore, I would be interested to learn if any of these terms have survived into the 21st century and what, if any, new colloquialisms have emerged to replace them.

Many thanks.

[jjimm]

Furthermore, I would be interested to learn if any of these terms have survived into the 21st century and what, if any, new colloquialisms have emerged to replace them.Clearly a "buck" and a "grand" have - we use "grand" too, don't we old boy? However, I have nothing else to add, not being a septic.

[Neptunian Slug]

The short stories of Damon Runyon feature a panoply of slang terms, most of which can be easily understood when taken within the context of the tale being told.

The exception to this rule is the range of colloquialisms used for US bills. Those Runyon employs are:

$1 - a buck, a bob
$2 - a deuce
$5 - a finnif, a fin, a pound note
$10 - a sawbuck, a saw
$20 - a double sawbuck, a double saw
$50 - half a yard, half a C (note)
$100 - a yard, a C (note)
$1000 - a grand, a G (note)


Furthermore, I would be interested to learn if any of these terms have survived into the 21st century and what, if any, new colloquialisms have emerged to replace them.

Many thanks.


I often use the term 'single' for $1 bills.

And I am not sure if this is wat you are looking for, but when my buddy throws a $1,000 wager on a football game he always tells his bookie to put a dime on the game.

[mazinger_z]

Furthermore, I would be interested to learn if any of these terms have survived into the 21st century and what, if any, new colloquialisms have emerged to replace them.

Many thanks.

No problem. I've heard the following:

Units of $100 = bills; if price = USD $300, then you would say, "That shit costs 3 bills?"

In terms of just general money (or hundreds), you would say, "I gotsa to get paid, so I can be bringing home the benjamins."

Unites of $1 = bones; "How much was dinner?" "About 5 bones."

Double sawbucks, yards, half-yards, and half-c's are not very common anymore. You'll hear the rest of the lingo all the time if you talk to a lot of bookies.

Oh, and lastly, my friend in New York has heard $20 bills called "yuppie food stamps."

[Jayrot]

In many urban areas (west coast) a $20 is referred to as a "twamp".

[Annie-Xmas]

I've heard big ones/little ones used for dollars/cents. "It costs 29 big ones and 98 little ones."

[engineer_comp_geek]

We have yuppie food stamps here in MD/PA also.

I thought that "large" to mean $1,000 came from "grand" (which was already popular), since "grande" means "large" in several languages, including Italian.

[Robot Arm]

I've only heard "fin" actually used once. I was delivering pizza (this would have been about 20 years ago); it was about 13 dollars, the guy gave me a twenty and said "just give me a fin." It took me a few seconds to go deep in my memory and dredge up the fact that a fin was five dollars.

And let's not forget "bit"s, eight to the dollar. I remember going to San Francisco once with my grandfather when he had just become a senior citizen and could ride the cable cars for "two bits." That would have been even earlier than the pizza incident.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

In terms of just general money (or hundreds), you would say, "I gotsa to get paid, so I can be bringing home the benjamins."


This is an important point. Some words refer only to the physical note, while others refer to the amount. "Grand" is understood by virtually everyone to mean a thousand dollars, whether in check form, bags of nickels, or various combinations of currency.

[Kimstu]

"Slang Terms for Money", by Manuel Prenner (American Speech 4(5), 1929) (http://www.jstor.org/view/00031283/ap020211/02a00060/0). (Don't forget "frogskins" and "mint leaves" for dollar bills!)

Mentions "yard" as a synonym for "century, $100", but doesn't explain the derivation. Neither does the Online Etymology Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=yard), which dates the first attestation of this sense of "yard" to 1926.

[Chronos]

Cecil occasionally lauds his questioners for remembering to include a double sawbuck in their letters (or rebukes them for forgetting), so that one's still in semi-live use. It's a bit affected, though, and most folks won't use it.

If you're wondering about the origin of "benjamin" for the $100 bill, it's because that bill bears the image of Benjamin Franklin (the most famous President off the United States who was never President of the United States). You'll also occasionally see a $10 referred to as a Hamilton, for the same reason, and money in general is sometimes referred to as "dead presidents", or "pictures of dead presidents".

In my experience, though, the most common terms in modern use are just the numbers. So you might say something like "I gave the cashier a twenty, and got a five and two ones in change".

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

I've heard big ones/little ones used for dollars/cents. "It costs 29 big ones and 98 little ones."
Never heard little ones used to mean cents.

Calling a dollar a big one these days is surely ironic.

[TheLoadedDog]

In my experience, though, the most common terms in modern use are just the numbers. So you might say something like "I gave the cashier a twenty, and got a five and two ones in change".
I wonder why that is? In Australia, when we decimalised in 1966 we lost a wealth of rich slang names for different denominations of coins (not notes so much, because coins were worth more then than now), and the decimal currency has had a few attempts at slang, but they never seem to stick. We've borrowed the American "buck", but that means a dollar, and doesn't refer to the $1 coin (same with "grand" for $1000 - we don't have a $1000 note). "Two bob" survives for the 20c, but that's a hangover from imperial currency. You occasionally hear "Redback" for a $20 note, but a lot of people wouldn't know it. So yeah, everybody just uses boring ol' numbers now.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

No problem. I've heard the following:


Double sawbucks, yards, half-yards, and half-c's are not very common anymore.

I assume half-c's would be fifties, and those are rarely encountered anyway. If you withdraw any amount from fifty to several hundred dollars, the cashier is likely to give you twenties and fives, or hundreds if it's a large enough amount. Tens have also become noticeably rarer in circulation and seem to be on the verge of disappearing. It's said this is due to the use of ATMs, that usually only dispense twenties, but I've only noticed this in the last few years, and ATMs have been ubiquitous for a lot longer than that.

[t-bonham@scc.net]

I have (very rearely) heard referance to "a K note", meaning $1000. Presumably some influence from the Metric system. It's always been computer types who said it. But $1000 bills aren't in circulation any more.

The other common slang terms are the names of the people (mostly Presidents) pictured on the bills. Referances to 'Washingtons', 'Lincolns' & 'Jacksons' are common. No doubt, those running in a richer crowd hear referances to 'Grants', 'Harrisons', maybe even 'Chases'?

[Askance]

I hope no "whole 9 yards" kooks are reading this thread.

"Redback" for a $20 note, but a lot of people wouldn't know it. So yeah, everybody just uses boring ol' numbers now.50s are fairly commonly known as pineapples, from their virulent yellow colour.

One dollar coins have 5 kangaroos on them, so I've heard a 20c piece referred to as a roo (admittedly not commonly).

[T_SQUARE]

Don't forget "Big Ben" for the 100.

I thought about trying to get people to call the new 20s "Peachies" but when they were released, they weren't nearly as peach as hyped.

[Rigamarole]

Units of $100 = bills; if price = USD $300, then you would say, "That shit costs 3 bills?"

This is what I most commonly hear $100 referenced as also. (example: in waiterland, where I work, someone will say "You walkin' with a bill tonight?" which means: "Are you leaving here with $100 cash tonight?")

My WAG is that since a $100 note is the highest denomination of bill we have, if anything gets the distinction of being just a "bill" without further specification, it would have to be the 100.

[Aunt Flow]

In many urban areas (west coast) a $20 is referred to as a "twamp".

Bugah? I've lived on the west coast (Cali and Oregon) for nearly 20 years and I've never heard that term.

[Chez Guevara]

And I am not sure if this is wat you are looking for, but when my buddy throws a $1,000 wager on a football game he always tells his bookie to put a dime on the game.
I'm pretty sure I've heard that before, probably on a TV programme. Is a nickel in similar use for a $500 bet?

Units of $1 = bones; "How much was dinner?" "About 5 bones."
That's a new one on me. Also, can you tell me where I can get dinner for $5?

I have (very rarely) heard reference to "a K note", meaning $1000.
Same here. We read of someone earning £40K per annum (or whatever) but nobody talks about a K note, probably because there isn't one.

In passing, my own experiences tell me that UK banknote slang is rare. Maybe some Londoners are conversant with Cockney rhyming slang whereby a £10 note might be called an Ayrton (after Ayrton Senna) or a Paul McKenna. I can't say whether or not these terms are in current use, even within earshot of Bow Bells.

For actual amounts of money, the only examples I can think of right now are a monkey (£500) and a pony (£25) which are still widely used on the racetrack. For example, I might walk up to a track layer and say to him "Five ponies, Black Silk" which means I am betting £25 on Black Silk at 5/1.

Fascinating stuff. More of it would be good.

[Alive At Both Ends]

We read of someone earning £40K per annum (or whatever) but nobody talks about a K note, probably because there isn't one.There is a generation-gap thing here though. Nobody over 50 would call £1000 anything other than a "grand". "K" is more popular with the younger generation that was brought up with the metric system.

[Rick]

There are 100 yards in a football field, 100 dollars in a hundred dollar bill, so $100 = a yard
Least ways that is how it was 'splained to me.

[mazinger_z]

That's a new one on me. Also, can you tell me where I can get dinner for $5? Mickey D's. They have the 1 bone value menu.

[Spoke]

$10 = ten spot, dime (drug parlance, as in "dime bag"--though this refers to the dollar amount, not the bill necessarily)
$5 = five spot, nickel (as in "nickel bag")

Oldies not previously mentioned.

[TheLoadedDog]

There is a generation-gap thing here though. Nobody over 50 would call £1000 anything other than a "grand". "K" is more popular with the younger generation that was brought up with the metric system.
Interesting. For some reason, I would have thought the UK had similar usage to Australia, where "K" is only ever used in plural - ie. you don't say, "I've got a K to spend". I've never even heard people under twenty years old use that. It's generally used for discussing annual income. However, "grand" is known to people of every age.

[Godfrey Daniels]

Rather silly, but way back in my hippie days, ones were 'bananas'.

[Long Time Lurker]

That's a new one on me. Also, can you tell me where I can get dinner for $5?
Sotto Cinque (http://www.sottocinque.com/)

[Alive At Both Ends]

Interesting. For some reason, I would have thought the UK had similar usage to Australia, where "K" is only ever used in plural - ie. you don't say, "I've got a K to spend". I've never even heard people under twenty years old use that. It's generally used for discussing annual income. However, "grand" is known to people of every age.
Sorry, I seem to have confused you. My bad.

"K" is only used in the plural sense here, as well. The difference is that older people will say, for example, "twenty grand" exclusively, whereas younger people are more likely to say "twenty K" (though they both understand and use "twenty grand" as well). Note, by "younger" I don't mean "under 20". Kids have no business talking about grown-up numbers like 20000. I mean "old enough to have a job, but not old enough to be obsessed with your pension arrangements".

[jsc1953]

I've lived 50 years without ever hearing "yard" in terms of money.

I also have to dispute the bill = president's name convention, for anything other than Benjamins. I've never heard of a "Lincoln", for example (and nothing over $100 is in circulation any more, btw).

Casinos refer to $5 and $25 chips as "nickels" and "quarters", respectively.

Which segues nicely into a related topic -- notice how every US coin has a nickname? The 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent and 50 cent coins are never called that: they're penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half, respectively.

[jsc1953]

One dollar coins have 5 kangaroos on them, so I've heard a 20c piece referred to as a roo (admittedly not commonly).

Similar to the Canadian $1 coin, the Loonie. And it's $2 companion, the Twonie.

[AskNott]

Rather silly, but way back in my hippie days, ones were 'bananas'.
Yes. There's a story, probably a UL, where a TV pitchman for a used car lot offers to sell "this little beauty to the first person to come in here with 1500 bananas." He ended up sheepishly turning it over to a sharp cookie with a truckload of actual bananas.

Dollars are also clams, dolls, Georges, smackers, smackeroos, shekels, simoleons, greenbacks, skins, and dozens more I don't know.

Recent dollar coins are called Susies and Sackies. Sackies are also Goldies, for the color, not the metal.

Money in general can be long green, cabbage, lettuce, dough, bread, do-re-mi, grease (a bribe,) wherewithal, capital, chump change (with contempt, a small amount,) elephant dollars (a whole lot,) and vig (a service charge or interest, usually illegal.)

When you pay what you owe, it's pony up, pungle up, fork it over, get squared, shake the change from your old fruit jar, raid the piggy bank, dig down deep, shell out, and feed the kitty.

[Chez Guevara]

When you don't pay what you owe is it curtains?

[Rigamarole]

Also, can you tell me where I can get dinner for $5?

Last night I had dinner from Taco Bell for 2 bones, 15 cents. Including tax. (Burrito Supreme. Yum!)

[jsc1953]

Which segues nicely into a related topic -- notice how every US coin has a nickname? The 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent and 50 cent coins are never called that: they're penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half, respectively.

Without peeking...what denomination is stamped on each US coin? (hint: it's not consistent)

[irishgirl]

I've got a couple more for British money:

£5 is a Lady (Lady Godiva=fiver)
£15 is a Commodore ("once, twice, three times a lady")
£6= poorly octopus (sick squid, geddit?)

Expansion on the Ayrton Senna=£10(tenner)... £10 is also known as "a dead Brazilian", for obvious reasons.

This site (http://www.aldertons.com/money.htm) has lots more.

[jsc1953]

Expansion on the Ayrton Senna=£10(tenner)... £10 is also known as "a dead Brazilian", for obvious reasons..

Obvious to you, maybe....

I feel stupid.

[irishgirl]

Ayrton Senna (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayrton_Senna) was a Brazilian F1 driver who died in a crash during a race.

It's in horrible taste, but I can't deny I've heard it.

[mamboman]

In Australia, when we decimalised in 1966 we lost a wealth of rich slang names for different denominations of coins (not notes so much, because coins were worth more then than now) You occasionally hear "Redback" for a $20 note, but a lot of people wouldn't know it. So yeah, everybody just uses boring ol' numbers now.

In Queensland a 20 is a Brick or a Red Brick. This is a hangover from Imperial currency.

Back in the day, my favourite pub was the Red Brick Hotel in Wooloongabba - so named not for it's mode of construction, but for the fact that due to it's being down the way from the notorious Boggo road jail, it was a frequent first stop for newly released prisoners - who, when released were given a new suit and a 20 pound note. Hence, the Red Brick pub was where you spent your red brick.

mm

[lorene]

Ask Nott, were you ever in a production of Guys and Dolls?

[CurtC]

What about "ten spot" for ten dollar bill? In my experience, that's a lot more common that "sawbuck."

By the way, something missing from this thread so far is that some notes once had roman numerals on them, and that's the source of the terms "C-note" and "sawbuck." Sawbuck is another name for sawhorse, and that's what the "X" looked like on the ten spot.

[waits]

Cecil occasionally lauds his questioners for remembering to include a double sawbuck in their letters (or rebukes them for forgetting), so that one's still in semi-live use. It's a bit affected, though, and most folks won't use it.
Did you just call Cecil "affected"? Aww, dude, you're in trouble now.