That’s what Latin teachers would claim. It’s more likely to come from Old Scandinavian, and has parallels in many northern European languages.
Isn’t solidus used in Britain to mean a forward slash, like the ones they used to use in writing prices–e.g. 10/6/6=10 pounds 6 shillings and sixpence?
Solidus was originally the gold monetary unit of Rome during the late imperial era. The word became surprisingly debased, as it were, later becoming “sou”, a very minor French unit–I think 1/20 of a franc, and also a “soldo”, a fraction of a lira before that currency was hyperinflated. If any of the old British units was analogous to the original solidus, it would have been the pound if anything.
Hmm, there’s lots of Google results (although nothing which I would consider to be definitive) which agree that s = solidi. I searched for lsd+librae (not solidi or solidus), to avoid my results being self-selective. Do you have a cite?
I’d never heard of this before - but you’re right! 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_(punctuation)
Behind the local Bowling alley!!
Well, cites for ‘shilling’ being northern European are two-a-penny (sorry, couldn’t resist 
). I see no good explanation anywhere that people wanted an abbreviation for shilling, and failing to find one through obvious means, then thought “aha! Solidi!’ So lets abbreviate it to S!”. The Latin approach smacks of retrospective rationalisation.
Can you link to one (I’m curious now!)? A few references I’ve looked at have specifically excluded the s = shilling connection.
[size=1]Off to bed now, though.
Basically, I’m asking what’s more likely:
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‘Shilling’ is generally abbreviated to ‘s’. Curious children ask their elders what ‘l s d’ stands for, the elders being the knowledgeable ones who all place Latin in the highest regard, and without any proof they give a Latin reply. (Don’t forget that until the 19th century, very few people would have any need or knowledge of what ‘L’ stood for. And most were illiterate anyway. So any ‘common knowledge’ of what the letter meant has to be post-18th century).
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Everybody calls it ‘shilling’. Some Latin speaker on high deems it to need abbreviating, and so supplements the word ‘solidi’, which coincidentally has the same initial.
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Hi Opal!
Y’know, I could almost swear I understood this, then I read it again. Nope. What language is this again?
Vlad/Igor
Its english - as she is spoke: Here is a translation for our colonial cousins:
But to make things a bit more transparent:
A big white Godiva [Lady godiva - fiver - £5 note]will cost any where from a ton [£100] to a monkey [£500] (really good ones could cost an archer [£2,000 from the amount that Jeffrey Archer paid the tart to shut up])
A knicker [a pound] will cost about an ayrton [ayrton senna - tenner - £10]
A sovereign will cost about two hundred sovs [once upon a time soveriegns were pound coins so sovs = pounds](depending on year and size)
A ten bob note [10 shillings] wil be about a jacks [jacks alive - five]
A half crown [two shillings and six pence coin] will be a couple of quid
A tanner [sixpence coin] will be about ten bob
Pennies will cost shrapnel [pocket change is referred to as shrapnel - ie not very expensive].
So there you go my seppo friends…
Seppo ?
What is this Seppo you speak of ?
And where can I get some ?
If your location caption is accurate - just keep driving south - you’ll soon be spoiled for choice. 
Its short for septic, someone got their knuckles rapped for it a couple of weeks ago, but its supposed to be septic tank=Yank .
Declan
It surely is - it’s the equivelent of “Limey” ie semi-affectionate
There are loads of them eg:
Jam Rolls - poles
Sweaty socks - jocks etc