macmillan
English
Worksheet
dictionary
Dosh is UK s favourite
In London, people spend wonga, Midlanders count While the meanings of coppers, fiver and tenner are
their wad and in Scotland dough is what makes the 20 evident, quid, meaning pound, often bamboozles
world go round. The whole of the country, the first-time foreign visitor to the United
5 however, understands cash, bread and readies. Kingdom. It comes from the Latin quid pro quo
meaning  something for something and has been
Britain is rich in euphemisms for money and a
in use for about four hundred years. Research for
recent survey by the Internet bank NetInvestUK.com
25
the recently published Macmillan English Dictionary
has revealed marked regional preferences. In the
showed quid to be one of the most frequently used
more rural areas of the country, people love their
words in English. A pony for Ł25, and a monkey for
10 lolly while in the industrial regions of the north
Ł500 are also from the eighteenth century while
people earn, spend and save brass.
grand, meaning Ł1000, was imported from the
But the United Kingdom s favourite word for
30 USA just over a hundred years ago.
money is dosh. The term is either a portmanteau
The most lucrative period for colloquialisms for
word formed from dollar and cash or a derivative of
money was during the loadsa money 1980s when
15 doss, an old-fashioned word for the cost of a bed for
wonga was for winners, wad was God and to be holding
the night. Bread, another of the most commonly
folding was every self-respecting bread-head s aim.
used terms, comes from the Cockney rhyming
slang  bread and honey .
Activity 1 Activity 2
Read the text and answer the following questions. Check The text has many examples of euphemisms for money.
your answers in the dictionary. Why do you think each of the following is used in this
way? If you need help, check in the dictionary.
a What is the meaning of marked? (line 8)
a wad
b What is a portmanteau word? (line 13) What example of
a portmanteau word is given in the dictionary? Can you
b readies
think of any others?
c brass
c What is a possible synonym for bamboozles? (line 20)
d dough
d Loadsa is the way of writing, and saying, what? (line 32)
e holding folding
e What is the meaning of self-respecting? (line 34)
This page has been downloaded from www.macmillandictionary.com.
It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright � Macmillan Publishers Limited 2002.
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macmillan
English
Worksheet
dictionary
Activity 3
Here are some expressions using money. Complete them
with the words in the box. Check your answers in the
dictionary.
burn made mouth object
stout strain stranger storey straight
rope sense throwing water
strand straighten story straight away
a She s always buying things she doesn t need. She must
have money to ________ .
b He s constantly wasting his money betting on horses.
He s got more money than ________ .
c We should look for something a little cheaper. I m not
________ of money, you know.
d My holiday job was so easy. It was money for old
________ .
e You can have whatever you like for your birthday.
Money s no ________ .
f OK, if you re so confident that you re right, why don t
you put your money where your ________ is.
g They must be very rich. They spend money like ________ .
h We should stop ________ money at it and think of a
more practical way to solve the problem.
For discussion
1 Are any of the expressions in Activity 3 the same or
similar in your language? Can you think of any people
or situations about which you could use these
expressions? Do you know any other English
expressions about money?
2 Are there any other words for money in your language?
What are they? Do you know the origin of these
words? Are any of them the same as or similar to the
English words?
This page has been downloaded from www.macmillandictionary.com.
It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright � Macmillan Publishers Limited 2002.
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