# Slang for "euro(s)" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302 "2003-04-12T18:41:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/1 "2003-04-12T18:41:31Z")
I’ve noticed lately that the term “quid” which was formerly slang for “pounds” here in Ireland (as it still is in the UK) is beginning to be used again as slang for “euro(s)” … a trend I thoroughly welcome BTW. What’s the story elsewhere in the Eurozone? Are you guys using an old slang term, or has a new one been invented, or are you still just calling them “euro(s)”? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/2 "2003-04-12T22:16:13Z")
I heard them called “yoyos” somewhere but I don’t know if it is widespread at all. ---
**Author:** ![universe.zip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@universe.zip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/universe.zip)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/3 "2003-04-12T23:25:16Z")
In Spain, I´ve heard “euritos” used quite often, which I personally find very nice… the cents are calles “céntimos” (old term), and that´s used more or less officially. Well, and in Austria, creativity abounds… the nicest one for euro is “Eier”, literally “eggs”, because a sloppy Austrian pronounciation of “euro” comes pretty close to it. And I really love “Zwergerln” (dwarfs) for the cents, but I´ve no idea how widespread that really is 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Nils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nils)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/4 "2003-04-13T10:05:13Z")
In German we have a handfull of words for currency units that where used for our old D-Mark and are now used for Euros: Tacken, Öcken, Öckenöcken, Eier. Probably there are more of these from other Regions. There is at least one new word only for Euros: Euronen. But then again I also don’t know how widespread these words are or were. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/5 "2003-04-13T14:19:14Z")
What is 1/100th of a Euro _officially_ called? Is it a cent? I could google this on my own, but since I’ve already comitted myself: can someone link to a website that shows me what euro bills (and euro coins) look like? TIA ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/6 "2003-04-13T14:22:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HeyHomie \* > \*\*What is 1/100th of a Euro _officially_ called? Is it a cent? > > I could google this on my own, but since I’ve already comitted myself: can someone link to a website that shows me what euro bills (and euro coins) look like? > > TIA \*\* [It would be my pleasure](http://www.euro.ecb.int/en/section/testnotes.html) Haj ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/7 "2003-04-13T14:25:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HeyHomie \* > **What is 1/100th of a Euro _officially_ called? Is it a cent?** Yes, it’s a cent. Irish businesses and government bodies are pluralising it without an S though, which is weird: “seventy-nine cent”. If someone says “quid” I have to clarify if they mean euro or pound, because a few people still talk about stuff in Irish pounds. Thankfully this is dying out now. I say “yoyos” myself if I’m being “funny”, though most of the time I just say “euro”. ---
**Author:** ![Nils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Nils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nils)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/8 "2003-04-13T15:40:31Z")
Actually the official name is “Eurocent”. One Euro is 100 Eurocent. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/9 "2003-04-13T15:54:29Z")
There’s no nickname I heard of for the euros in France. The slang words used previously : “balles” (bullets) for francs and “briques” (bricks) or “batons” (staves) for 10 000 francs seem to have totally dissapeared. ---
**Author:** ![Nils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Nils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nils)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/10 "2003-04-13T16:09:22Z")
There have also been words for our 5 DM coin: “Heiermann”. And a “Fuchs” (fox) was a 50 DM note. This slang has disappeared now. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/11 "2003-04-13T16:21:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nils \* > \*\*Actually the official name is “Eurocent”. One Euro is 100 Eurocent. \*\* I googled “eurocent” and all the relevant sites seem to be in German or Danish. Is that the official term for the whole of the Eurozone, or just Germany & Denmark? ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/12 "2003-04-13T16:45:41Z")
It’s eurocent in Dutch too. [Here](http://www.ad.nl/artikelen/Prinsjesdag/1032273218558.html) is a (random) webpage to prove it. Yes, this is Dutch, not German, and don’t you dare say otherwise. 😃 In French it must be something else (Cent d’Euro? Eurocentime?) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/13 "2003-04-13T21:26:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes, it’s a cent. Irish businesses and government bodies are pluralising it without an S though, which is weird: “seventy-nine cent”. [This (Irish) page](http://www.evertype.com/standards/euro/euronames.html) expands on this phenomenon, and gives names for the euro in European languages (even Cornish!) Apparently the EU (linked in this page) originally wanted “euro” and “cent” to be the same in all languages in the EU, in both singular and plural. The Irish, for some reason, seem to have gone along with it, but as far as I know the Italians say “euri”, not “euro”, for the plural. ---
**Author:** ![chattywine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@chattywine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chattywine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/14 "2003-04-13T21:51:30Z")
Euros - AFAIK - simply euros, but w/ Italian pronunciation(yee-air-oh),centesimi (sp?) (chent-a-si-mi). In the past 6 months have been hearing ‘ebucks’ quite a bit, influenced by the Americans stationed here. [hijack] When the euro first hit, the locals tried to do away with the 1&2 cent coins, t’was annoying enough to suddenly have pockets bulging with the big coins. In they end they gave up due to an obscene increase inflationwise, this happen anywhere else? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/15 "2003-04-13T22:06:00Z")
It is correct for all scientific and engineering units to be used in the singular and it makes sense to me to do it that way. is 1.5 km singular or plural? is 0.5 km singular or plural? ---
**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:** [April 14, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/16 "2003-04-14T05:35:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually the official name is “Eurocent”. One Euro is 100 Eurocent. But on the coins, it says “One Cent”, “Five Cent”, etc. Surely, what’s printed on the currency must be at least semi-official. I have heard “Eurocent” when comparing it with other units called “cent”, such as the American, Canadian, or Australian cents. ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/17 "2003-04-14T11:20:35Z")
I believe the common term for Euros here in England is : sorry sir, that isn’t accepted here. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/18 "2003-04-14T11:54:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brainfizz \* > \*\*I believe the common term for Euros here in England is : sorry sir, that isn’t accepted here. \*\* I thought it was “I didn’t fight in two wars to bla bla bla queen’s head bla bla bla eurocrats bla bla making us have straight bananas bla bla taking away our pints and ounces bla bla bla bleedin’ Germans bleedin’ French bla bla bla grumble mutter”. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/19 "2003-04-14T12:10:41Z")
Lest we appear as outcasts, lepers, or pariahs in the eyes of our more cosmopolitan brethren (and sistren) overseas, we should note than many large department chains in the UK _will_ accept Euros and convert them in-house. No matter what Queen Victoria would think of the whole thing. (But I still say we should bring back proper money. None of this decimalization nonsense. Bring back the good old dodecagonal threepenny bit.) ---
**Author:** ![Nils](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Nils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nils)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2003, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302/20 "2003-04-14T12:35:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*But on the coins, it says “One Cent”, “Five Cent”, etc. Surely, what’s printed on the currency must be at least semi-official. > \*\* Well not on the ones I have in front of me right now. So I can tell you from first hand that German, Finnish, Italian, French, Dutch and Austrian coins say e.g. 20 Eurocent on the common “European” side. Only on the Austrian the value and name is repeated on the “country” side of the coin. And I also think that this is at least semi-official ;)😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slang-for-euro-s/168302.md?page=2)