Latest news with #slang
The Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Sun
Top 50 slang words for money revealed including ‘shekels' and ‘spondulicks'
BOOMERS call it "cash", while Gen Z prefer to use "paper" – this is how different ages talk about money. A poll of 2,000 adults found Gen Z is the most likely generation to use slang terms, with 58% adopting new phrases, compared to just 19% of Boomers. With the way we pay for things continually evolving, so is the language we use to communicate these payments, and as such 29% believe the word " cash" may die out entirely one day. Longstanding phrases such as "lolly" (67%), "shekels" (35%) and "folding green" (13%) are widely used by the over 65s, but are rarely recognised or used by Gen Z or Millennials. However, terms such as "stacks" (32%) and "P's" (27%) are more commonly said by Gen Zs. Despite the introduction of cashless payments, 71% of Brits agree the decline of cash is not inevitable, with 82% believing it's important to have it readily available. Ross Borkett, banking director at Post Office, which commissioned the research said: 'Money, how we talk about it and how we use it, has always been a unique part of British culture. 'Such a wide range of phrases are being used for money, showing how entrenched cash still is within our society. 'Whether you need money to pay the window cleaner or own a local shop and need to deposit your daily takings, we believe cash matters, and it seems so does the public. 'While we're seeing a shift towards contactless and digital payments, this research highlights that Brits still find value in having access to cash - whether they call it 'quid' or 'coin'.' It's not just different generations which have slang terms for money; the research also found that where you live can impact your cash vocabulary. For example, "dosh" is most popular in the North East, while "bread" is most likely to be said by people in the South East. But in Northern Ireland"bank" and "moolah" are popular terms. This has resulted in more than a quarter (27%) of Brits travelling to a different part of the UK and hearing an unfamiliar term for cash. Common ways to pick up these quirky phrases are from parents (42%) and friends (46%), according to the OnePoll data. Dr Lynn Robson, lecturer in English Literature at Oxford University, said: 'As money has evolved from shells and coins to plastic and digital forms, so too has the language we use to describe it. Brit top 50 terms for money 1. Cash 2. Quid 3. Fiver 4. Tenner 5. Coin 6. Notes 7. Change 8. Dosh 9. Grand (or G - £1000) 10. Dough 11. Funds 12. Bucks 13. Bills 14. Coppers 15. Bank 16. Loot 17. Ton (£100) 18. Brass 19. Bread 20. Readies 21. Wonga 22. Lolly 23. Moolah 24. Pony (£25) 25. Monkey (£500) 26. Shrapnel 27. Smackers 28. Wedge 29. Score 30. Peanuts 31. Spondulicks (or Spondoolies) 32. Squids 33. Plastic 34. Paper 35. Shekels 36. Greenbacks 37. Stacks 38. Green 39. Foldin' stuff 40. Bob / Tenners and Twenties 41. Benjamins 42. Crust 43. Ching 44. Large 45. Cheddar 46. Beans 47. Folding green 48. Bangers and mash 49. P's 50. Racks 'Despite the changes in how we pay for things, 'cash' - which has been used in our language for over 500 years - is still the most popular word for money. "When it comes to the language of money, there are many cultural influences that can move phrases from the margins to mainstream culture. 'For example, sayings like "loot" are infiltrating conversations due to the popularity of games like Minecraft, but it is still those closest to us which have the greatest impact on our language.' .
Washington Post
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The old slang term '86' probably started as restaurant-worker jargon. Suddenly it's in the news
NEW YORK — The slang term at the center of a political brouhaha swirling around former FBI Director James Comey is an old one, likely originating as food-service-industry jargon before extending to other contexts. Some of that spread has given rise to accusations from Republicans that it was meant as a threat to President Donald Trump.
