10 words for money

I know I've already talked about money.  Those were 10 different currencies.  This is 10 words for money.  There is a difference, I swear.  I honestly can't think of anything that has more nicknames than money.  10 of them were pretty easy...

Moolah - the word moolah has been around for a long time.  There are a LOT of theories as to it's origin.  None of them seem to quite fit.  My dad used the word as synonymous with money.  Mr. Howell Used the word when pretending to be a Native on the island to entice the federal agents to come back and hopefully discover the criminals hiding in the hut.  From what I've read, it might be a reference to Moloch a cruel god that required very expensive sacrifice.

scratch - Once again, the word has been around for a long time and used as slang to indicate money.  There is some thought that it uses the term scratch in the same way as someone bakes something from scratch, or from elemental ingredients.  Perhaps money/scratch is considered the most elemental of ingredients.  Maybe scratch is what you use to placate a nagging itch.

cash - Cash is a generic term for any money of any denomination.  It's also a verb for the exchanges of goods for currency.  Probably the most used slang term for currency that we have.  From Cash on the barrel head to Cash and Carry.  Cash is the point.

Foriegn Names - Diniero, Samoleans, Sheckels, you name it, every country/government has their own currency.  With that currency comes a name.  Whatever that name is the country on the whole knows that name.  If you are in one country, it's kind of cool to use the name of another country's currency.  The more obscure the country name, the better.  Of course the country's currency can't be named the same as your currency, then it doesn't matter.

Bucks - This is the term we tend to use for money when we want to diminish the size of the money being discussed.  Nearly always used with 'only', bucks are the casual term.  For example, if you mention to someone that you will only be paying 20 dollars a month, you are being accurate but the emphasis on dollars tends to indicate that you think you are paying too much.  If you are paying the same amount of money but explain it in terms of bucks, you are saying that it is a good deal, 'I'm only paying 20 bucks a month for this.

Credits - Scifi and video games use Credits as the denomination of currency.  The science fiction world doesn't have any respect for individual governments because everyone knows that the world will be eventually one large government with one currency.  Since we don't want to favor one currency over another, we will go to the generic credit.  Video games of course have known this since their arrival on the economic scene in the late 70's.  1 credit = 1 play.  how much is a credit worth?  Who cares.




Cheddar - A more recent street term for money.  Cheddar being synonymous with money might have come about through the government cheese program of the 80's.  If that's true or not, it's very street cool to use the term cheddar for money.

Coin - Short for coin of the realm.  Coin is the actual term for physical money.  I've also noticed that when you are talking in terms of coin, you are talking about how much something is.  'They want that much?  That is a LOT of COIN.'  Coin appears to be the opposite valuation of money against bucks.

Greenbacks - This term is specific to American currency.  Greenbacks describe exactly the paper currency that is clearly green on the back.

Quid - one of my favorite terms for money, the Brits have shown up with another great bit of slang.  Quid being short for Quid pro Quo or this for that.  This is a perfect slang definition of the nature of money.  It is literally I will give you this round piece of flat metal or this rectangular piece of paper in exchange for a real piece of merchandise or service.






There we are, stumbling across the finish line once again, only to wait another 15 days...more or less...Thanks for reading!!