what they actually mean.. Here are a few ‘English’ terms
that refer to money, and are often the subject of my CURIOSITY.
Some of the origins still evade me
FOREIGN CURRENCY?
They say a bribe, taken from an author, is an ARCHER
And you’re richer, to the tune of TWO THOUSAND POUNDS
But you won’t get much at the grocer’s store, for a TANNER
That’s just SIXPENCE. Maybe not as much as it sounds
In the clothing store, you could try A PAIR OF GREEN KNICKERS
KNICKER means ONE POUND – TWO GREEN BANKNOES make a PAIR
And if I told you that a MONKEY is not a primate
For FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS, would you tell me it’s not fair?
And the powdered horn of a RHINO, sells for a fortune
I’ll take TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS, on the nose
But I think you know that a BAG OF SAND is a THOUSAND
Or a GRAND, or put another way, four RHINO’S
Would you value MACARONI higher than a PONY?
Different name, translation the same – TWENTY FIVE POUNDS
Did you know I’ve got money ‘hanging’ round in my GARDEN?
GARDEN GATE – In POUNDS that’s EIGHT. Not expensive grounds
And the PLUM that ‘Jack Horner’ pulled from his Christmas pudding
Was worth TEN THOUSAND – What a lucky feast to fix!
Just be careful if anyone offers you the KIBOSH
Eighteen months in jail, or EIGHTEEN PENCE – ONE AND SIX
LOAF and GROAT both mean FOUR. LOAF is FOUR POUNDS, GROAT is FOURPENCE
Backwards, 'FORE' makes ROFE, or LOAF. GROAT, a word intact
MARIGOLD is a MILLION, taken from ‘Mary Gold’
Stained glass window, gilded frame – Priceless artefact
Corruption of the French word, TROIS, we understand as THREE
To form a ‘new’ word in English slang – Pronounced TREY
Then metal, cast in slender BAR, to use as currency
A single unit; value ONE, is how we pay
And do you know that man, TOM MIX? Do you know his value?
He’s worth SIX, but six of what? - Six of you and me?
JOB, or JOBBE, means work and payment, both - TWENTY ONE SHILLINGS
That was wages for completing work – ONE GUINEA
And to finish off, here’s the story of a COMMODORE
It means FIFTEEN POUNDS - But how? - Do I hear you cry?
A long time ago, was a well known song in the Pop Charts
‘Three Times A Lady’. You remember? - So do I
In Cockney Rhyming Slang, LADY is LADY GODIVA
That means a FIVER – Or a FLAG – Not a big stash
So ‘Three Times A Lady’ is THREE FIVE POUND NOTES - FIFTEEN POUNDS
‘The Commodores’ take the Credit – But not the Cash
Anyone know the origin of
TANNER?
MONKEY?
PONY?
We all have the right to choose, but we can use our influence,
as GUARDIANS of our own ambitions,
to encourage others to make the right choices
It’s Up To You
Question:
Is it frustration
Brought on by education?
Have I studied to the point
Of saturation?
Too much knowledge in my head
I’ll never use
What’s the point of setting light
To the fuse?
They’re all going to run for cover
From the explosion
The fall-out’s going to carry
Right across the ocean
But its deaf ears, it’ll land on
Over there
Where the people have been brought up
Not to care
Ignorance is bliss
So they will never miss
What they never even had
Ain’t it sad?
RESPONSE:
When you’re camped out on the ground floor and you
Want to know
When you’re looking up, but you’ve got
Vertigo
You want to lead a better life, but you need
Direction
You’re never going to settle for less than
Perfection
Everybody tells you things will never
Get better
But you already signed the
Application letter
Now you’re on your way up, so you’d better
Not look down
And don’t even think of looking back to
Your hometown
Change your way of life
Put an end to your strife
Instinct feeds your ambition
It’s a mission
When you make it to the top, will you
Remember me?
Or will I fade to the back of your
Memory?
I’m not looking for your praise, for your
Congratulation
Hero-worship, Icon-status
Adulation
Just the respect, that is due me for initial
Preparation
For the cutting-edge of intellect; in reparation
And remember, when the time comes, as it
Surely will
The view is so much clearer, from the summit
Of the hill
You will pass the test
Because you have been blessed
With the talents of the few
It’s up to you
AVENGE - Vengeance, or justice?
TO some, perhaps, it’s just a job.
All in a Day’s Work
Just a short walk to the gallows; nothing fancy; a darkened room
A handful of witnesses
A priest in black; a doctor waits; a woman cries; the tension mounts
Then the executioner
Begins his work - “Any last words before you meet your Lord and God?”
A few moments of silence
About to die; nothing to say - Will it be quick? The convict thinks
“May God have mercy on you”
The rope is placed around the neck of the condemned. Switches are pressed
And then the trap-door opens
The body swings, and once again, Good has triumphed over Evil
The hang-man washes his hands
Justice is served. Another death, justifies what? Ask the hang-man
Returning home to his wife
