Money Slang Terms: What People Really Call Cash Around the World

When someone says they made a grand, a common slang term for one thousand dollars or pounds, they’re not talking about royalty—they’re talking about cash. Bread, an old-school term for money, especially in British and American slang has been around since the 1920s, and it’s still used today. So is quid, British slang for one pound sterling, and monkey, a slang term for £500, rooted in 19th-century Indian army slang. These aren’t just quirky words—they’re living pieces of culture, passed down through generations, used in markets, bars, and late-night conversations where formal language doesn’t fit.

Why do people use slang for money? It’s faster. It’s casual. It’s secret. In the U.S., you might hear someone say they’re short on bucks, while in Australia, they might say they’re flat on their shekels, a colloquial term for dollars, borrowed from Hebrew but used in Aussie slang. In the UK, a fiver, a five-pound note is as common as a tenner, a ten-pound note. Even the $20 bill has its own nickname—Jackson, named after Andrew Jackson, whose face is on the bill. These terms aren’t just fun—they help people communicate quickly in situations where clarity matters more than formality.

Some slang terms come from history. The word dough, a synonym for money, likely comes from the idea of money being something you knead or work with, like bread dough. Others come from rhyming slang, like pony, British slang for £25, derived from "pony and trap" rhyming with "25". And then there’s the odd one out—cheddar, American slang for money, possibly from the idea that government benefits were once paid in cheese rations. These aren’t random. They’re tied to real moments in time, economics, and everyday life.

You’ll find these terms popping up in posts about how people talk about spending, saving, or even scams. One article explains why a monkey, a slang term for £500 is used in shelving load ratings—not because it’s about primates, but because it’s borrowed from old money slang. Another dives into how Americans call a $20 bill a Jackson, named after Andrew Jackson, while Brits just say "a twenty." You’ll also see how slang changes across borders—what’s "bread" in the U.S. is "quid" in the U.K., and "shekels" in Australia. These aren’t just words—they’re cultural fingerprints.

Whether you’re shopping online, traveling abroad, or just listening to a movie, knowing these terms helps you understand more than just price tags—you understand people. The posts below cover everything from why a $500 shelf is called a "monkey" to how British teens say "a fiver" without thinking twice. No jargon. No fluff. Just real talk about the money we use every day—and the weird, wonderful names we give it.