# Explain English Money to Me **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504 "2019-08-11T15:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/101 "2019-08-17T14:01:47Z")
Note that PB is actually filmed in Manchester. A local entrepreneur who worked briefly on the set, now has a stall selling sausages called “Porky Blinders” > **[Porky Blinders! Manchester's most famous sausage stall rebrands with Peaky...](https://ilovemanchester.com/porky-blinders-manchesters-most-famous-sausage-stall-rebrands-to-do-banger-business-in-the-city)** > > By order of the Porky Blinders... there's a new look to Manchester's longest-running sausage stall. The former Manchester Sausage Company stall on Market ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/102 "2019-08-17T17:20:01Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Don’t think attempts by me at direct linking, would work; but if one Googles “British money slang monkey pony”, various items come up to suggest that it’s largely a Cockney thing, and is indeed reckoned to be derived from Indian banknotes and their artwork, when we ruled there: “pony” = 25 pounds / rupees, “monkey” = 500 pounds / rupees. (The “hits” thus made by Googling, imply that this falls under Cockney rhyming slang; but the monkey and the pony are nothing to do with words rhyming.) Heyer uses the terms “monkey”'and “pony” in her books, set in the Regency period, which were meticulously researched. The terms are used by upper class characters. I doubt that Cockneys in 1820 would ever have £25, let alone £500, so I’d go with the Indian origins, not Cockney slang. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/103 "2019-08-17T19:03:15Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > What about “Tuppence”? > > Agatha Christie had a detective character whose nickname was Tuppence. In one book, one of the clues that a letter supposedly from her was a forgery was the fact that the forger had spelled the signature as “Twopence” rather than “Tuppence.” I just read that book yesterday! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/104 "2019-08-17T19:09:12Z")
BTW, something else the UK minted during the 19th century was “fractional farthing” coins. They were mainly used in some of the colonies, but, yeah, 1/960 of a pound wasn’t small enough in those places, and they minted 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4 farthing coins: [http://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/coins/british-coinage/old-denominations/fractional-farthings/index.html](http://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/coins/british-coinage/old-denominations/fractional-farthings/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/105 "2019-08-17T19:46:33Z")
Pre-independence India had a similarly complex system 3 pies = 1 paisa 4 paise = 1 anna 16 annas = 1 rupee Now it’s just 100 (new) paise = 1 rupee For a while after the currency was ended, the term “anna” was used as a way of stating fractions or percentages. So “four Anna’s” was a quarter of a rupee so it meant 35 percent of whatever you were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/106 "2019-08-17T20:31:01Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > For a while after the currency was ended, the term “anna” was used as a way of stating fractions or percentages. So “four Anna’s” was a quarter of a rupee so it meant 35 percent of whatever you were talking about. I assume a typo for 25%. Otherwise can you explain the reasoning? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/107 "2019-08-17T20:52:06Z")
You’re correct. Typo ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/108 "2019-08-18T05:24:52Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I remember reading as a kid a story where a young child was digging for pirate treasure in the garden with a trowel. His grandfather came upon him an on finding out what he was up to, managed to drop a crown and scuff enough dirt over it so the tyke could find it. It was a very big thrill to him but I have no idea any more what the period of the story was nor what class they might have been. I presume upper as they had a garden you could wander around in. I read that story! It was in a school reader, about Grade 6. But I remember it a bit differently; it was a half crown, and there were several kids, and when the adult realized that the boy was going to share it with the other kids, he dropped a second half crown, to ensure everyone would get something. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/109 "2019-08-25T18:07:27Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > A ‘Crown’ or five-shilling coin was far too large to be in general use, and I have never heard it being used as a named coin. Five bob or even two half-crowns, yes, but not a ‘Crown’. Back when a dollar or five shillings was a large sum of pocket money, I wonder whether the general aversion to large coins was due to the fear of losing them. Losing a buck back then would have been like losing twenty today. Tiny coins are also easily lost, and the gold dollar was never popular in the U.S. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/110 "2019-08-25T22:53:01Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Back when a dollar or five shillings was a large sum of pocket money, I wonder whether the general aversion to large coins was due to the fear of losing them. Losing a buck back then would have been like losing twenty today. Tiny coins are also easily lost, and the gold dollar was never popular in the U.S. > Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk The ‘Crown’ was not in general circulation. We had a ten bob note (two crowns) and the half-crown. Coins were weighted so that mixed bags could be counted by weighing. For silver coins, a sixpence was half the weight of a shilling and florins and half-crowns were twice a two and a half times respectively. A crown would have to be as heavy as five shillings which made it inconvenient. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/111 "2019-08-26T04:36:11Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > The ‘Crown’ was not in general circulation. We had a ten bob note (two crowns) and the half-crown. Coins were weighted so that mixed bags could be counted by weighing. For silver coins, a sixpence was half the weight of a shilling and florins and half-crowns were twice a two and a half times respectively. A crown would have to be as heavy as five shillings which made it inconvenient. A bit like U.S. silver dollars I imagine. They existed, and you might be able to get them at a bank, but apart from Vegas casinos where they were a sort of expected novelty, they were rarely seen in circulation. Overall the U.S. Mint produced silver dollars from 1783 to 1935 but during that time there were years-long periods when none were minted. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/112 "2019-08-26T05:43:58Z")
Crowns were primarily a medium for commemorative coins for major (usually royal) events. They were occasionally made until 1981 (as 25p coins) until the Royal Mint decided that 25p had become kind of a chintzy amount for such purposes and switched to making commemorative £5 coins of the same size. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/113 "2019-08-26T15:46:03Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Note that PB is actually filmed in Manchester. A local entrepreneur who worked briefly on the set, now has a stall selling sausages called “Porky Blinders” > > [https://ilovemanchester.com/porky-blinders-manchesters-most-famous-sausage-stall-rebrands-to-do-banger-business-in-the-city/](https://ilovemanchester.com/porky-blinders-manchesters-most-famous-sausage-stall-rebrands-to-do-banger-business-in-the-city/) Some of the outdoor scenes are filmed at the Black Country Living Museum at Dudley. [https://www.bclm.co.uk/about/peaky-blinders/337.htm](https://www.bclm.co.uk/about/peaky-blinders/337.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/115 "2020-05-08T22:28:41Z")
[Moderating] Welcome to the SDMB, **RonyChapmen**. While we do not have a rule against bumping old threads, we do ask that it only be done to add new information relevant to the original topic, which in this case is English money, not Peaky Blinders. That said, if you wish to discuss the show further, you’re welcome to start a thread on that topic in our forum called Cafe Society, which is the location here for discussion about the arts. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/116 "2020-05-08T22:28:57Z")
[Moderating] Welcome to the SDMB, **RonyChapmen**. While we do not have a rule against bumping old threads, we do ask that it only be done to add new information relevant to the original topic, which in this case is English money, not Peaky Blinders. That said, if you wish to discuss the show further, you’re welcome to start a thread on that topic in our forum called Cafe Society, which is the location here for discussion about the arts. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/117 "2020-05-08T22:42:48Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Pre-independence India had a similarly complex system > > 3 pies = 1 paisa > 4 paise = 1 anna > 16 annas = 1 rupee > > Now it’s just 100 (new) paise = 1 rupee > > For a while after the currency was ended, the term “anna” was used as a way of stating fractions or percentages. So “four Anna’s” was a quarter of a rupee so it meant 35 percent of whatever you were talking about. India (and other nearby countries) had (and still have) multipliers: Lakh = 100,000 (of the basic currency unit) Crore = 100 Lakh, or 10,000,000 (of the basic currency unit) They seem to use “crore” for any large number as below: A random Indian news/financial page: [http://newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=387805](http://newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=387805) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/118 "2020-05-08T23:49:22Z")
**Moderator Note** This thread was bumped by a spammer who has since been wished away to the cornfield. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/119 "2020-05-09T04:28:33Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > India (and other nearby countries) had (and still have) multipliers: > > Lakh = 100,000 (of the basic currency unit) > Crore = 100 Lakh, or 10,000,000 (of the basic currency unit) > > They seem to use “crore” for any large number as below: > > A random Indian news/financial page: [http://newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=387805](http://newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=387805) I thought these were just numerals: e.g., lakh = 10[sup]5[/sup] like million = 10[sup]6[/sup]. Therefore naturally applicable to money, but are not individual units like a shilling or a dollar, if that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![ALOHA\_HATER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/120 "2020-05-09T05:39:20Z")
My English friend was telling me about UK money terms. Apparently you can say “one pound fifty” but you can’t use “quid” with 50p. You use “quid” as only whole numbers, but if it’s 5 or 10 you say “a fiver” or “a tenner.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504/121 "2020-05-09T05:51:51Z")
I distinctly remember a news story at the time Britain converted to decimalization. An Englishwoman committed suicide because she could not understand this newfangled system. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-english-money-to-me/838504.md?page=7)