This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.
Search BBC
BBC World Service
BBC BBC News BBC Sport BBC Weather BBC World Service Worldservice languages
spacer gif
You are in: Learning English > Grammar and Vocabulary > Lingo
Learning English
spacer gif
money

Learn the language of the street - what people say and the topics they like to talk about. Take a look at these money words and phrases and then try out the Lingo Challenge!
 The money in your pocket more Lingo

  • Dosh, dough, wedge - These are informal terms for money.
  • A fiver , A tenner . - £5, £10
  • Twenty quid - £20
  • A ton - £100
  • A grand - £1,000
  • Loose change - coins
  • I've only got a few coppers. - I only have a few 2p and 1p coins.
  • Plastic - credit/debit cards

Music

Health

Sport

Relationships

Food

Going out

Moods

Work

Texting

Money

 Having a lot

  • She's loaded . She's stinking rich . - She's got lots of money.
  • Trustafarians - People who receive money from their family or an allowance; the word is a play on Rastafarian (a believer in a religion which originated in Jamaica).
  • I'll buy you dinner, I'm cashed up tonight! - I've got plenty of money!
 Not having any

  • I'm skint / broke . I haven't got a penny . - I haven't got any money!
  • I'm a bit short this month. - I don't have much money till I get paid.
  • I can't afford it! - It's too expensive for me, I don't have enough money.
  • I've reached my credit limit. - I can't spend any more money on my credit cards.
  • He lost his job last year and had to sign on . / go on the dole . - He's now out of work and receiving financial help from the government. [If you sign on, you go to a government office and sign a form each fortnight to declare you are available for work.]

 People who don't like spending it

  • He never buys a round ; he's really tight. / tight fisted. / stingy. - That guy never buys drinks for other people - he's mean / ungenerous.
  • He opened his wallet and a moth flew out ! - He rarely spends his money. [Moths tend to live in clothes which don't get used very often - so someone mean never opens his / her wallet!]

 Some phrases

  • That piano's worth a fortune ! - That piano is worth a lot of money.
  • It cost an arm and a leg! - It cost a lot of money.
  • They get paid peanuts ! - They get paid badly.
  • That restaurant's a real rip-off ! - That restaurant overcharges; it doesn't represent value for money.
  • They don't have two pennies to rub together . - They are very poor.
  • The business went bust. - The business was declared bankrupt.
  • That last bill completely cleaned me out ! - That bill used up all of my money.
  • I'm skint. I blew my salary on a new hi-fi. - I've spent all my wages.

 Lingo Challenge

Try using as many of these phrases as you can in a one-minute conversation! How many will you manage to use? Have fun!


BBC copyright
 
Learning English | News English | Business English | Watch and Listen
 
Grammar and Vocabulary | Communicate | Quizzes | For teachers
 
Downloads | FAQ | Contact us