Why is 500 a monkey?

The term was coined by British soldiers returning from India where the 500 rupee note of that era had a picture of a monkey on it. They used the term monkey for 500 rupees and on returning to England the saying was converted to sterling to mean £500.
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Why do Cockneys call 500 a monkey?

Whilst this is not cemented in fact, the widely held belief is that the terms came from soldiers returning to Britain from India. Old Indian rupee banknotes had animals on them and it is said that the 500 rupee note had a monkey on it and the 25 rupee featured a pony.
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What is 500 in Cockney rhyming slang?

Monkey is Cockney Rhyming Slang for 500 pounds!
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What is a tenner in Cockney slang?

Cockney Money Slang

The first things you gotta learn are that five pounds is a fiver, and ten pounds is a tenner. Then you gotta know the key money values: £20 is a Score, £25 is a Pony, £100 is a Ton, £500 is a Monkey, and £1000 is a Grand.
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What is a gorilla in money terms?

Gorilla: A thousand dollars.
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Why is 300 a carpet?

The term has since the early 1900s been used by bookmakers and horse-racing, where carpet refers to odds of three-to-one, and in car dealing, where it refers to an amount of £300.
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Why is a safe called a Peter?

Peter is slang for 'safe', as in money box. The origin of the word is unclear. Some sources say it comes from the same root as the Biblical St Peter – the Greek word for rock Petra, since safes are supposed to rock solid.
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What is a cockle money?

Cockle is Cockney slang for 10 pounds (tenner).
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Why is 1000 called a grand?

The name 'grand' for $ 1,000 comes from a $ 1,000 banknote with the portrait of Ulysses Grant, 18th president of the USA. The banknote was called a “Grant”, which overtime became 'grand'.
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Why is 100 called a monkey?

The term was coined by British soldiers returning from India where the 500 rupee note of that era had a picture of a monkey on it. They used the term monkey for 500 rupees and on returning to England the saying was converted to sterling to mean £500.
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Why is 20 pound called a score?

£20 is sometimes referred to as a "score", although strictly this is not a slang term for money, as 'score' is a normal word for twenty. A "pony" equals £25. A "bullseye" is £50. £100 is sometimes referred to as a "ton" e.g. £400 would be called 4 ton.
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How much is a donkey in money?

Prices start at around $300 for one donkey and can go up to $2,000-3,000, and even higher. What is this? Just as with horses, a well bred, well-trained, large, rideable/drivable donkey can cost several thousand dollars.
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What is a pony in Cockney?

Pony is Cockney slang for 25 pounds.
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What does pony up mean?

Definition of pony up

transitive verb. : to pay (money) especially in settlement of an account. intransitive verb. : pay.
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How much is a kite in money?

Kite: originally meant a worthless bill or cheque. Hence you would say "I am going to fly a kite" means you are going to pass a bad cheque. The word seems to now mean any cheque (bad or not).
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How much is a pony?

The Cost of Ponies

Ponies might be smaller in stature than horses, but that doesn't mean their purchase or upkeep costs are proportionally smaller. The cost of a good pony can be the same or higher than a horse. Expect prices for suitable first ponies to be about $1,000 and upwards.
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What is Apple in money terms?

Apple Core is Cockney slang for 20 pounds (Score).
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Why do Cockneys call a watch a kettle?

The term means watch, which stemmed from a 'fob' watch which was a pocket watch attached to the body with a small chain. The kettle used to boil on the hob of a stove… hence the rhyme.
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Why is a house called a gaff?

Gaff. In Ireland, the word 'gaff' means 'house'. The term 'free gaff' is often used by teenagers to describe the situation when their parents go away for a night, usually meaning there will be a party. Using 'gaff' to mean house is apparently also common in Scotland, parts of England and Wales.
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What is Pony in money?

Yes. To "pony up" in America is to pay some amount you owe, usually a large amount of money. Also, a "pony" could be a small amount of liquor or a small bottle of liquor. Also, a "pony" could be a cheat sheet or other material used in a test by students.
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Why is a house called a drum?

Drum and Bass is Cockney slang for Place.

The word drum was originally used to describe a room or prison cell or even a road. It then became confined to only mean the home.
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Why is your belly called a derby?

"Derby Kell" is old Cockney rhyming slang for belly ("Derby Kelly"). "Blow out your kite" means "fill your stomach". It uses the word kite (also kyte), a dialect word, originally derived from an Old English word for the womb which, by extension, came to mean the belly.
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What does haddock mean in Cockney slang?

Haddock and Bloater is Cockney slang for Motor.
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