What Are Some Slang Terms for Money in the United States?
In the United States, there are many commonly used slang terms for money. Perhaps the most common is the term "buck" as a reference for the dollar. A hundred bucks is $100 US Dollars (USD). There are various other slang terms for money as well, some of which are general terms while others are specific.
"Cold, hard cash" is another of the slang terms for money, which simply denotes cash in hand but doesn’t distinguish an amount. The same is true of other words like "clams," "smackers," and "greenbacks," the latter of which is based on the color of paper dollars. Each of these slang terms for money refers to dollars, but none of them indicate specified amounts.
The phrase "dead presidents" refers to different denominations of bills since pictures of past presidents appear on the face of many of them. Not all bills feature a US president, however. The $100 USD bill, for example, features Benjamin Franklin. This particular bill has developed its own slang term which specifically describes hundred dollar bills — "Benjamins."
Other slang terms for money include "C-note" or simply "C," which also indicates a $100 USD bill. Another letter used in reference to a specific monetary denomination is "K." If someone says, "I paid 5K," it means he or she paid $5,000 USD. "Grand" is another common slang term for money, and means $1,000 USD.
Slang terms for money are also used in reference to smaller bills such as $5 USD and $10 USD bills. A $5 USD bill is sometimes called a "fiver" or a "fin." A $10 USD bill can be referred to as a "sawbuck." Fives and tens are at times also called nickels and dimes, which leads to other slang terms for money, such as "Don’t nickel and dime me." This phrase indicates that a person wants to be paid in full rather than a little at a time.
There are even slang terms for money that are used to describe US coins. "Two bits" equals 25 cents or one quarter. A quarter is a coin that represents one fourth of a dollar.
The term "two bits," not to be confused with "two cents," is also used as an expression that something is low quality, low class, or cheap, as in the statement, "I don’t want any two-bit actors in this play." The term "two cents," on the other hand, is used to refer to someone’s opinion. For example, a person might say, "Keep your two cents to yourself," or "I’d like to throw in my two cents."
Written by Sherry Holetzky
