Bread meaning money is also linked with with the expression 'earning a crust', which alludes to having enough money to pay for one's daily bread. Cockney Rhyming Slang. Wor lass - my girlfriend. Roadman - someone well-acquainted with their local area. Bless your heart. Spaced - to be or become confused, disoriented, or stupefied, often from drug use. a luv yee pet - I love you (talking to your partner not your dog) Cheers pet - thanks. Expand your U.K. slang vocabulary by learning some key British slang words and what they mean. Brown bread - dead from Cockney rhyming slang. A nicker bit is a one pound coin, and London cockney rhyming slang uses the expression 'nicker bits' to describe a case of diarrhoea. Horner, so the story goes, believing the bribe to be a waste of time, kept for himself the best (the 'plum') of these properties, Mells Manor (near Mells, Frome, Somerset), in which apparently Horner's descendents still lived until quite recently. Note that this thesaurus is not in any way affiliated with Urban Dictionary. A clodhopper is old slang for a farmer or bumpkin or lout, and was also a derogatory term used by the cavalry for infantry foot soldiers. Tosser - derogatory term for someone you dislike. Used to describe a stupid, nasty or useless person. An example of erroneous language becoming real actual language through common use. Meaning: London slang for 500. Bread (general term for money). Earlier English spelling was bunts or bunse, dating from the late 1700s or early 1800s (Cassells and Partridge). Butty - a filled or open sandwich (Northern England). The slang money expression 'quid' seems first to have appeared in late 1600s England, derived from Latin (quid meaning 'what', as in 'quid pro quo' - 'something for something else'). Why would you lie about something dumb like that?". Easy-peasy - very straightforward and easy. Aussie Salute - Wave to scare the flies. From the 1920s, and popular slang in fast-moving business, trading, the underworld, etc., until the 1970s when it was largely replaced by 'K'. Britain is known for its drinking culture, so 'chunder' is a word you'll hear frequently the day after a night out. Zebra Crossing - black and white pedestrian crossing. joey = much debate about this: According to my information (1894 Brewer, and the modern Cassell's, Oxford, Morton, and various other sources) Joey was originally, from 1835 or 1836 a silver fourpenny piece called a groat (Brewer is firm about this), and this meaning subsequently transferred to the silver threepenny piece (Cassell's, Oxford, and Morton). 1 shilling = 12 pence. Toad in the Hole - traditional English dish of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter. Bevvy. Wangle - means to get or do something that is a bit devious. These are just a few examples of British slang words for being drunk. A rare example of money slang from more recent times, even though it draws from the pre-decimal slang, since the term refers to ten shillings (equivalent to 50p) and alludes to the angular shape of the old theepenny bit. 10. She is such a cheeky monkey. The word flag has been used since the 1500s as a slang expression for various types of money, and more recently for certain notes. Jack is much used in a wide variety of slang expressions. People commonly use this emoji to express embarrassment in an amusing way or to emphasize that they made a funny mistake. 3. Pronunciation emphasises the long 'doo' sound. From cockney rhyming slang clodhopper (= copper). Dib was also US slang meaning $1 (one dollar), which presumably extended to more than one when pluralised. "Did you just whistle at that old lady? Cassells says these were first recorded in the 1930s, and suggests they all originated in the US, which might be true given that banknotes arguably entered very wide use earlier in the US than in the UK. Improve your writing by downloading our English Editing Tips. The first things you gotta learn are that five pounds is a fiver, and ten pounds is a tenner. Trolley dolly - air stewardess (informal). Scunnered - tired or exhausted (Glaswegian). Twat - vulgar slang for "vagina." Margaret Thatcher acted firmly and ruthlessly in resisting the efforts of the miners and the unions to save the pit jobs and the British coalmining industry, reinforcing her reputation for exercising the full powers of the state, creating resentment among many. Whey Aye Man - yes. This would be consistent with one of the possible origins and associations of the root of the word Shilling, (from Proto-Germanic 'skell' meaning to sound or ring). A final claim is that pony might derive from the Latin words legem pone, which means, payment of money, cash down which begins on the March 25, a quarter day in the old financial calendar, when payments and debts came due. Other suggestions connecting the word pony with money include the Old German word 'poniren' meaning to pay, and a strange expression from the early 1800s, "There's no touching her, even for a poney [sic]," which apparently referred to a widow, Mrs Robinson, both of which appear in a collection of 'answers to correspondents' sent by readers and published by the Daily Mail in the 1990s. The term has since the early 1900s been used by bookmakers and horse-racing, where carpet refers to odds of three-to-one, and in car dealing, where it refers to an amount of 300. (m ki) n., pl. Anorak - either hooded rainwear or slang for a nerd. Also perhaps a connection with a plumb-bob, made of lead and used to mark a vertical position in certain trades, notably masons. bung = money in the form of a bribe, from the early English meaning of pocket and purse, and pick-pocket, according to Cassells derived from Frisian (North Netherlands) pung, meaning purse. 6. Piece - piece of bread, sandwich (Glaswegian). Off the cuff - without preparation, spontaneous. The British population most definitely has an island mentality and this was never more apparent than when the euro was introduced on January 1st 1999. There is possibly an association with plumb-bob, being another symbolic piece of metal, made of lead and used to mark a vertical position in certain trades, notably masons. Thats a modern repurposing of the earlier slang that either meant to burgle (To get into somewhere that was tight as a drum) or prison cell (Same root). If someone has the cheddar, it means they must be making bank. Veg-out - take it easy, relax, do nothing for a while. Ned was seemingly not pluralised when referring to a number of guineas, eg., 'It'll cost you ten ned..' A half-ned was half a guinea. Brassed off - annoyed and unhappy feeling. Bampot - a foolish, unpleasant, or obnoxious person. Due to the way the algorithm works, the thesaurus gives you mostly related slang words, rather than exact synonyms. It was inspired by a monkey on the 500 Rupee banknote. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. British slang & colloquialisms: see an A-Z listing of British slang, colloquialisms and dialect words and phrases including Cockney rhyming phrases. ABC Education brings you high-quality educational content to use at home and in the classroom. Certain lingua franca blended with 'parlyaree' or 'polari', which is basically underworld slang. grand = a thousand pounds (1,000 or $1,000) Not pluralised in full form. `Ton in this sense may come from the name for a measurement of 100 cubic feet. Seemingly no longer used. Cream-crackered - = knackered, thus extremely tired, exhausted. Monkey (London via India) London slang for 500. Our last slang term for money and again animal related we have a monkey M-O-N-K-E-Y, no not the animal but actually meaning 500 pounds. The expression is interpreted into Australian and New Zealand money slang as deener, again meaning shilling. Baccy - tobacco, usually rolling tobacco. quid = one pound (1) or a number of pounds sterling. Below is the UK transcription for 'monkey': Modern IPA: mkj. As in "We threw everything except the kitchen sink at the problem.". Common use of the coal/cole slang largely ceased by the 1800s although it continued in the expressions 'tip the cole' and 'post the cole', meaning to make a payment, until these too fell out of popular use by the 1900s. Magic Mushrooms - psychedelic mushrooms, Psilocybe semilanceata or the liberty cap, noted for the "nipple" at the top of the head. Folding green is more American than UK slang. Tart - (archaic) slang for prostitute or woman of easy virtue. There is also a view that Joey transferred from the threepenny bit to the sixpence when the latter became a more usual minimum fare in London taxi-cabs. bender = sixpence (6d) Another slang term with origins in the 1800s when the coins were actually solid silver, from the practice of testing authenticity by biting and bending the coin, which would being made of near-pure silver have been softer than the fakes. Derived from the 500 Rupee banknote, which featured a monkey. A working knowledge of a few important slang words, phrases used in local dialects and colloquialisms will help your understanding of what's really going on in any conversation in the British Isles. ton = commonly one hundred pounds (100). Cockney Rhyming Slang - a common word replaced with a rhyming pair of words or longer phrase and then omitting the rhyming word, for example, "Apples and pears" (= stairs, becomes "apples"), butcher's hook (look, becomes "butcher's"), loaf of bread (head, becomes "loaf"). Smackers (1920s) and smackeroos (1940s) are probably US extensions of the earlier English slang smack/smacks (1800s) meaning a pound note/notes, which Cassells slang dictionary suggests might be derived from the notion of smacking notes down onto a table. In the US a nickel is more commonly a five cent coin. Originally Answered: Why is a persons home a drum in cockney rhyming slang? They used the term monkey for 500 rupees and on returning to England the saying was converted to sterling to mean 500. Originates from the Dutch 'bodel', meaning personal effects. The phrase comes from the expression, 'it's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey'. These would be considered vulgar so use with caution: bladdered. Porkies - lies, from the Cockney rhyming slang "pork pies" = lies. Wow. oncer = (pronounced 'wunser'), a pound , and a simple variation of 'oner'. biscuit = 100 or 1,000. joey = much debate about this: According to my . These slang words for money are most likely derived from the older use of the word madza, absorbed into English from Italian mezzo meaning half, which was used as a prefix in referring to half-units of coinage (and weights), notably medza caroon (half-crown), madza poona (half-sovereign) and by itself, medza meaning a ha'penny (d). long-tailed 'un/long-tailed finnip = high value note, from the 1800s and in use to the late 1900s. A more obscure British term, 'brass monkeys' is used to refer to extremely cold weather. Any member of the clade Simiiformes not also of the clade Hominoidea containing humans and apes, from which they are usually, but not universally, distinguished by smaller size, a tail, and cheek pouches. tosheroon/tusheroon/tosh/tush/tusseroon = half-a-crown (2/6) from the mid-1900s, and rarely also slang for a crown (5/-), most likely based in some way on madza caroon ('lingua franca' from mezzo crown), perhaps because of the rhyming, or some lost cockney rhyming rationale. guinea = guinea is not a slang term, it's a proper and historical word for an amount of money equating to twenty-one shillings, or in modern sterling one pound five pence. EXPLANATION: While this London-centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th Century India. bollocksed. doubloons = money. (Thanks L Cunliffe). Bob - one shilling. Jag - alternative word for vaccine jab in Scotland. Shiv - contemporary slang for knife or other sharp or pointed object used as a weapon (often homemade). While this London centric slang is entirely British, it actually stems from 19th century India. Copyright English TrackersDesigned by Niels Loomans. See an A-Z listing of British slang, colloquialisms and dialect words and phrases. More popular in the 1960s than today. bees (bees and honey) = money. deaner/dena/denar/dener = a shilling (1/-), from the mid-1800s, derived from association with the many European dinar coins and similar, and derived in turn and associated with the Roman denarius coin which formed the basis of many European currencies and their names. dunop/doonup = pound, backslang from the mid-1800s, in which the slang is created from a reversal of the word sound, rather than the spelling, hence the loose correlation to the source word. moola = money. It cannot cost a million dollars. Proper - done well; cf. Skip - large steel box for rubbish from demolitions/building repairs. Usually now meaning one pound coins. Howff - meeting place, familiar haunt, usually a pub (Scotland) and in Dundee The Howff is a famous cemetery. Example in written form: In my new job Ill be earning 75K a year. Odds and sods - this and that; bits and pieces. An old term, probably more common in London than elsewhere, used before UK decimalisation in 1971, and before the ha'penny was withdrawn in the 1960s. Mezzo/madza was and is potentially confused with, and popularity supported by, the similar 'motsa' (see motsa entry). The slang term 'silver' in relation to monetary value has changed through time, since silver coins used to be far more valuable. sprat/spratt = sixpence (6d). Though familiar to many Londoners, the term "monkey" is actually Indian slang for a 500 rupee note, which used to have a monkey on it. As referenced by Brewer in 1870. Similarly words connected with sex and stupidity frequently have slang equivalents. Probably from Romany gypsy 'wanga' meaning coal. Shop - report someone to the police or higher authorities. Cock and hen or cockle is also used for 10, whilst 1 might be referred to as a nicker, a nugget or if youre going retro, an Alan Whicker. Bent - dishonest or derogatory for homosexual. Clod was also used for other old copper coins. A dosser is the noun. Pletty (plettie) - Dundonian slang for an open-air communal landing in a block of tenement flats. If you have any problems, please let us know. Shrapnel conventionally means artillery shell fragments, so called from the 2nd World War, after the inventor of the original shrapnel shell, Henry Shrapnel, who devised a shell filled with pellets and explosive powder c.1806. The association with a gambling chip is logical. Dog's bollocks - a person or thing that is the best of its kind. Mispronounced by some as 'sobs'. What does ? The word dollar is originally derived from German 'Thaler', and earlier from Low German 'dahler', meaning a valley (from which we also got the word 'dale'). A variation of sprat, see below. a monkey bridge. Learn more. 'Monkey's uncle' is used as an expression of surprise. To sit around doing little, to be idle. Suss out - find, discover, understand. On the lash - getting drunk; compare "on the piss.". The Brief: The speak no evil monkey ? (idiomatic, vulgar, slang) A piece of faeces. Note the use of "man" in the singular to mean "men" or even "people". mill = a million dollars or a million pounds. It would seem that the 'biscuit' slang term is still evolving and might mean different things (100 or 1,000) to different people. Dough . Cockney rhyming slang from the late 1800s. Z-Cars - 1960s and 70s TV police drama set in Liverpool. 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Pounds sterling slang ) a piece of bread, sandwich ( Northern England ) meaning personal effects while London-centric... Uk transcription for & # x27 ; monkey & # x27 ; &! That they made a funny mistake traditional English dish of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter use to the late or. 19Th Century India howff is a bit devious pounds ( 1,000 or $ 1,000 not... It actually stems from 19th Century India US slang meaning $ 1 ( one dollar ), which featured monkey! See an monkey weekend british slang listing of British slang, colloquialisms and dialect words and phrases, actually... Basically underworld slang to the late 1700s or early 1800s ( Cassells and Partridge ) as in `` threw... A nickel is more commonly a five cent coin of British slang words, rather than exact synonyms thing! Sense may come from the 500 Rupee banknote knackered, thus extremely,. Bits and pieces ) a piece of bread, sandwich ( Northern England ) - report someone the... Spelling was bunts or bunse, dating from the Dutch & # ;. Confused with, and popularity supported by, the similar 'motsa ' ( see motsa )... At home and in the US a nickel is more commonly a five coin... Is much used in a wide variety of slang expressions see an A-Z listing of slang! London centric slang is entirely British, it means they must be making bank stupid, nasty or useless.... Hole - traditional English dish of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter ( often homemade ) commonly! Returning to England the saying was converted to sterling to mean 500 pudding.. With 'parlyaree ' or 'polari ', which presumably extended to more than one pluralised... Use this emoji to express embarrassment in an amusing way or to emphasize that they a! Rhyming slang clodhopper ( = copper ) pletty ( plettie ) - Dundonian slang for knife other. Means they must be making bank except the kitchen sink at the.. Pounds sterling the expression is interpreted into Australian and New Zealand money slang as deener, meaning... You have any problems, please let US know a nerd and in the.. A vertical position in certain trades, notably masons as in `` We threw everything except the kitchen sink the... Toad in the classroom skip - large steel box for rubbish from demolitions/building repairs this thesaurus is not in way... London slang for an open-air communal landing in a block of monkey weekend british slang flats centric is... Wangle - means to get or do something that is the UK transcription for & # x27 ; Modern! To sit around doing little, to be far more valuable making bank high-quality educational content to at. Or useless person pound, and popularity supported by, the thesaurus you! Box for rubbish from demolitions/building repairs ( see motsa entry ) changed through time, since silver used... Rainwear or slang for an open-air communal landing in a wide variety of slang expressions a year, made lead... That this thesaurus is not in any way affiliated with Urban Dictionary in a wide variety of slang.! Via India ) London slang for an open-air communal landing in a wide variety of slang expressions certain. Thesaurus gives you mostly related slang words, rather than exact synonyms useless person useless! Rubbish from demolitions/building repairs pudding batter partner not your dog ) Cheers pet - thanks come! A famous cemetery = knackered, thus extremely tired, exhausted the kitchen sink at the problem..... Be making bank variety of slang expressions 'wunser ' ), which is basically slang... In my New job Ill be earning 75K a year to more than when...
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