There’s scads of cockney slang for money. Much of it derives from the designs on the notes – five pounds, ten pounds, twenty pounds.
The first things you have to known are that five pounds is a fiver, and ten pounds is a tenner.
Then you must learn the main money values: £20 is a score, £25 is a pony, £100 is a ton, £500 is a monkey, and £1000 is a grand.
Here is the complete list of cockney money slang.
| Lionel Richie | £15 |
|---|---|
| Lost and Found | 1 pound |
| Nicker | 1 pound |
| Cock and Hen | 10 |
| Big Ben | 10 pounds |
| Dirty Den | 10 pounds |
| Pavarotti | 10 pounds |
| Bill and Benner | 10 pounds (tenner) |
| Cockle | 10 pounds (tenner) |
| Ayrton Senna | 10 pounds (tenner) |
| Yul Brynner | 10 pounds (tenner) |
| Oner | 100 |
| Long Un | 100 |
| Ton | 100 |
| Century | 100 |
| Bag of Sand | 1000 pounds (grand) |
| Score | 20 pounds |
| Apple Core | 20 pounds (score) |
| Pony | 25 pounds |
| Macaroni | 25 pounds (pony) |
| Harold | 5 pounds |
| Deep Sea Diver | 5 pounds (fiver) |
| Lady Godiva | 5 pounds (fiver) |
| Cow’s Calf | 50 pence |
| Bullseye | 50 pounds |
| Monkey | 500 pounds |
| Fish Tank | Bank |
| Iron Tank | Bank |
| Jumbo Jet | Bet |
| Rubber Gregory | Bounced cheque |
| Bangers and Mash | Cash |
| Sausage and Mash | Cash |
| Gregory Peck | Cheque |
| Ant and Dec | Cheque |
| Old King Cole | Dole |
| Jam Roll | Dole |
| Rock and Roll | Dole |
| Sausage Roll | Dole |
| Adrian Mole | Dole |
| Nat King Cole | Dole (welfare) |
| Bunsen Burner | Earner |
| Bees and Honey | Money |
| Bread and Honey | Money |
| Bunse | Money |
| Alan Whicker | Nicker |
| Abergavenny | Penny |
| Adam Faith | Safe |
| Knock at the Door | Score |
| Jude Law | Score |
| Bobby Moore | Score |
| Able and Willing | Shilling |
| John Dillon | Shilling |
If you’ve got any more, sling ’em over!
Once upon a time, five pound notes were blue, and Harold comes from Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes.
Submitted by two excellent peeps: Mo and David Mortimore.
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