Slang for $100: What People Really Call a C-Note and Why It Matters
When someone says they spent a C-note, a common American slang term for a one-hundred-dollar bill, often tied to its historical "C" for centum (Latin for 100). Also known as Benjamin, it refers to the portrait of Benjamin Franklin on the bill. You won’t find "C-note" on any official bank document, but you’ll hear it in movies, rap lyrics, and at garage sales—everywhere real money talks. It’s not just a nickname; it’s a cultural shorthand that tells you someone knows how money moves outside the ledger.
Why does this matter? Because slang like this isn’t just fun—it’s functional. If you’re buying something used, negotiating a deal, or even just listening to a conversation, knowing that "a grand" means $1,000 and "five Benjamins" means $500 helps you follow along. It’s the same reason people say "monkey" for £500 in the UK or "smacker" for a dollar in Australia. These terms cut through noise. They’re quick, memorable, and carry weight. In fact, the term Benjamin, a widely recognized slang term for a $100 bill, named after Founding Father Benjamin Franklin has been around since the 1950s and still holds strong today. Meanwhile, C-note, a shorthand for the $100 bill derived from the Roman numeral C for 100 pops up in everything from police procedurals to street markets. You don’t need to be a finance expert to use these terms—you just need to know they’re part of how people actually talk about cash.
These names aren’t random. They stick because they’re visual, tied to history, or just sound cool. A "Benjamin" gives you a face to remember. A "C-note" gives you a letter you can see on a receipt. And both are easier to say than "one hundred-dollar bill" when you’re in a hurry or trying to sound cool. You’ll find these terms referenced in posts about how to stretch a budget, what makes a sofa worth $2,000, or why custom shelving can add $100,000 to a home’s value. Money slang doesn’t just describe cash—it shapes how we think about value, worth, and what we’re willing to spend.
Below, you’ll find real-life examples of how people use these terms—not in textbooks, but in kitchens, garages, and living rooms. Whether it’s a bathroom makeover on a tight budget or figuring out if a lift chair is worth the cost, money talks. And sometimes, it talks in slang. These posts don’t just tell you what to buy—they show you how people talk about buying it. You’ll see how a hundred bucks stretches further than you think, and why the right name for it matters more than you’d guess.
