Spondulix and buckaroos: The weird and wonderful British terms for money

What do Pavarotti, Jeffrey Archer and Sir Isaac Newton have in common?

Talking about money is a form of conversation that never fails to cause discomfort. Luckily, the English language is nothing if not adaptable.

Alongside commonplace terms like “dosh”, “bob” and “dough”, a new study on the most popular terms for cash has shown terms like “spondulix”, “reddies” and “buckaroos” are also popular.

Lexicographer and Countdown’s Dictionary Corner host, Susie Dent, teamed up with money-sharing app Pingit to shine a light on the diverse language of money.

Food-related terms like “cabbage”, “bacon”, “cheddar” and “bread” proved popular, while others said they refer to their hard-earned cash as “loot”, “lolly”, or “Arthur Ashe”.

Regional favourites include “bob” (42 per cent) in Yorkshire, “tuppence” (41 per cent) in the South West, and “wedge” (39 per cent) in London, according to the study.

“Bucks” (35 per cent) is popular in Scotland, while “copper” (35 per cent) is common in East Anglia.

Ms Dent said: “Slang has different functions: many of the words we use are playful and a lot are tribal – we speak the same way as the groups we are part of.

“A great deal are also euphemistic, so it’s no surprise that a third of us are perplexed by their meanings and origins.

“Almost half the adult population finds discussing the subject of money difficult.

“Slang words help us to navigate these conversations by making us feel more comfortable and confident.”

The study of 2,000 adults showed two-thirds of us don’t like talking about money.

Unsurprisingly, more than half of Brits say using slang words for money makes them feel more confident when discussing it, but 70 per cent admit to getting confused about some of the meanings.

Of the words that leave us feeling confused, “rhino” tops the list with nearly half of respondents baffled by its meaning.

This is followed by “Pavarotti” (49 per cent), and “marigold” (48 per cent).

Many said the evolution of money and payments over the past 10 years has impacted the words they use every day. For example, when they speak about “tapping” for payment or “pinging over” money.

The changing of the linguistic guard also looks set to continue as many believe we will have different words for money and payments in 20 years’ time as technology evolves.

“From the moment it was introduced, money created social relationships – from bartering with one another in ancient times to transferring funds amongst friends and businesses in modern day,” said Darren Foulds, managing director of Pingit.

“It’s no surprise, then, that we’ve developed a rich vocabulary to make our conversations more light-hearted and fun.”

The most confusing money slang and its origins, according to Susie Dent

Rhino – No one knows for sure where this 400-year-old term for money comes from. Some people link it to the value of rhino horn or the idea of paying through the nose (rhinoceros is from the Greek for “nose-horn”). Perhaps the arrival of the first rhino in Britain suggested the sense of something valuable.

Pavarotti – Slang for a £10 note or tenner, this is a pun on the name of the famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

Marigold – Until the 19th century, coins rather than notes were the norm, and their colour spawned a number of terms. Gold for example gave us the terms “gingerbread”, “yellow boys”, “canaries”, and “goldfinch”. “Marigold” once denoted any golden coin, but it is now more specifically used for the sum of £1m.

Commodore – The result of a complicated and clever bit of rhyming wordplay for £15. Cockney rhyming slang for a fiver is a “Lady Godiva”, and the group the Commodores are best-known for their song Three Times A Lady.

Biscuits – An extension of the popular slang link between money and food, “biscuits” joins “bread”, “dough”, “cake”, “sugar”, “potatoes”, and many other foodstuffs in the money lexicon, which are seen as either the staples or the sweeteners of life.

Cabbage – The colour of money, originating from the United States, has also created a host of slang terms. The term “greenback” quickly emerged after the creation of the dollar bill by Abraham Lincoln, and a number of green vegetables followed in its wake, such as “kale”, “lettuce”, and “cabbage”. “Cabbage” had in fact already been used by London tailors in the 17th century for pieces of material pinched from a job and sold for a profit.

Beehive – Rhyming slang for five; hence a £5 note.

Sir Isaac – Sir Isaac Newton was the face of the old £1 note before it went out of circulation.

Archer – A reference to the libel case involving the novelist Jeffrey Archer. The term is slang for the sum of £2,000, a reference to the amount Mr Archer allegedly offered as a bribe which was the basis of the case.

Darwin – A £10 note, which features the face of Charles Darwin.

SWNS