# Non-compound number names, \>10 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487 "2009-02-04T22:58:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/41 "2009-02-06T21:51:58Z")
This is jargon, rather than the mainstream word in a given language, but: In the parlance of tipped employees in various service industries (hotels, restaurants, casinos, etc.), one hundred dollars is referred to as _a bill_. However, it’s use is restricted to money. You can say “_I made three bills tonight_” or “_that jacket cost two bills_”, but not “_How many people were there? About a bill_.” Compare the use of _grand_ to mean “one thousand dollars”. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/42 "2009-02-06T22:18:05Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > This is an odd one. Are there any words for numbers between 10 & 100 that are not derived from a combination of elements meaning other numbers that can be **added or multiplied** to get them? > > I mean, is there a word for 14 that isn’t “four-(&)-ten,” for example? > > I’m looking for words in Indo-European languages, but any will do. (Bolding mine) This may be a nitpick, but counting in Hindi after twenty goes something like this: twenty-one twenty-two . . . twenty-eight one-less-than-thirty thirty And so on. Strictly speaking, we’re neither adding nor multiplying here, but it may be splitting hairs finer than you want to. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/43 "2009-02-06T23:08:02Z")
Well, it’s worth noting, anyway. While I would love for someone to pull (against all likelihood) an etymologically distinct word for 13 out of somewhere, it’s these little things that keep the thread alive. And the subtraction-names are interesting & fit the thread well enough. ---
**Author:** ![4.66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/2bfe46/32.png) [@4.66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4.66)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/44 "2009-02-07T09:48:38Z")
> [@AllWalker](#): > > Find a language which uses a base system greater than 10. Good point, and some surfing starting with wiki page on [positional numeral systems](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Positional_numeral_systems) gives some great examples. Especially the page on [vigesimal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigesimal) gives a lot of words for ‘twenty’: _vingt_ in French,\* tyve\* in Danish, _ugain_ in Welsh, _fiche_ in Gealic and of course _score_ and some others. Other higlights: [QUOTE= Wikipedia on Pentadecimal] The Huli language of Papua New Guinea is reported to have base-15 numerals. Ngui means 15, ngui ki means 15×2 = 30, and ngui ngui means 15×15 = 225. [/QUOTE] and [QUOTE=Wikipedia on base 24] Umbu-Ungu, also known as Kakoli, is reported to have base-24 numerals. Tokapu means 24, tokapu talu means 24×2 = 48, and tokapu tokapu means 24×24 = 576. [/QUOTE] (I’m not sure which languages are considered Indo-European, so I went with the _any will do_ part of that request) As for numbers greater than 99 in the game of darts _ton_ is used for 100 (well in Dutch anyway). In Dutch, _ton_ can also mean 1000 or 100 000 (related by the the fact that a ton (a barrel) could fit 1000 kg worth of 10g silver coins) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/45 "2009-02-07T10:41:31Z")
> [@4.66](#): > > Good point, and some surfing starting with wiki page on [positional numeral systems](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Positional_numeral_systems) gives some great examples. Especially the page on [vigesimal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigesimal) gives a lot of words for ‘twenty’: _vingt_ in French,\* tyve\* in Danish, _ugain_ in Welsh, _fiche_ in Gealic and of course _score_ and some others. _Tyve_ has the same “two-times-ten” etymological roots as twenty. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/46 "2009-02-07T13:58:45Z")
> [@seodoa](#): > > Rawr, just spent some time writing a little treatise about an unusual number in Japanese, but when looking for cites found a source that confirmed my uninformed suspicion that it is, in a roundabout way, a combination of numbers. Sounds interesting nonetheless. What unusual number? ---
**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/47 "2009-02-07T14:22:39Z")
Does slang count? I’ve worked around survey crews in various parts of the country and “punk” is usually used instead of “eleven”. This is to avoid confusion with “seven” in situations when it is hard to hear. [http://www.directlinesoftware.com/survey.htm](http://www.directlinesoftware.com/survey.htm) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487/48 "2009-02-07T14:29:22Z")
Slang, but would “baker’s dozen” qualify? Stuff like a ream=500 sheets doesn’t qualify as under 100, but that type of number—used for very specific things, like paper or doughnuts—is where I’d think you might find unusual words for numbers. Pair/brace for two, but that’s under 10. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-compound-number-names-10/484487.md?page=2)