two bob

[Keeprockin]

I said to someone that I had a ten bob bit if it was any use, (paying a round) the barmaid looked as if I was speaking in a foreign language. Got me wondering,how did the expression; ten bob.two bob,couple of bob originate?

[shaneystar2]

The origin of the word 'bob' meaning Shilling is not known for sure, although the usage certainly dates back to the late 1700's.It is suggested in Brewer's 1870 Dictionary of Phrase and Fable in that 'bob' could be derived from 'Bawbee' which was 16-19th century slang for a half-penny, in turn derived from: French 'bas billon', meaning debased copper money (coins were commonly cut to make change); and/or the Laird of Sillabawby, a 16th century mintmaster. Perhaps there is also a connection with the church or bell-ringing since 'bob' meant a set of changes rung on the bells. This would be consistent with one of the possible origins and associations of the root of the word Shilling, (from Proto-Germanic 'skell' meaning to sound or ring). Also perhaps a connection with a plumb-bob; (the association with another heavy piece of metal), made of lead and used to mark a vertical position in certain trades, notably masons. 'Bob a nob', in the early 1800's meant 'a shilling a head', when estimating costs of meals, etc. In the 18th century 'bobstick' was a shillings-worth of gin. In parts of the US 'bob' was slang used for the US dollar coin.
From
http://www.businessballs.com/moneyslanghistory .htm

[Lonnie]

Now your talking about Real Money.

[Keeprockin]

Thanks for that Shaneystar2. An in depth estimate of the origins.
I agree Lonnie. There'll be nothing British before long. Miles,Fahreneit,Pints, all going by the board for Euro talk

[jake-the-peg]

Lets hope we finally kill off all this old non decimal stuff soon.

14 pounds to a stone, 2 pints to a quart, 8 pints to a gallon unless you're in America where it's different 1760 yard in a mile unless it's a "country mile"

20 shillings in a pound or 21 in a guinea ....

What were people smoking when they came up with that lot?!

I'll tell you what, I'll add up a bunch of prices in decimal and you can do the same in bobs and tanners or whatever and we'll see who finishes first!


And don't get me started on Farenheit! basing a temperature on the coldest day in a Gdansk winter !

[shaneystar2]

Ah ..but there are a lot of old 'uns around who were brought up in the non decimal age of rods poles and perches .Do you want to kill us off too ?
I can get my head round money and temperature but measurement and weight ..no. It's because I cannot visualise it.In spite of living on the continent for many years I just could not get along with kilos,kilometres,grammes and litres.I still ask for a yard of material and a pound of minc and still cook in pounds and ounces..But then I am not at all mathematically minded and I need a magnifying glass to see those miniscule gramme divisions on the scales. I recently had to be weighed at the doctors and they said I was so many kilos ...haven't a clue ..I prefer stones.
My mother who died ten years ago at the age of 92 called it dismal money and still worked all her bills out in �sd and converted to decimal and then was shocked at the total.
Do you think the Euro would be any better ..an excuse to round up prices . Just as they did when decimal currency was introduced here.

[ugly_bob]

surely a ten bob is a 50p piece. Where can you get a round for that? please tell me, I want to visit.

Even on the continent, they use equivalents to Imperial measurements. In France for example, they have the 'livre' (or pound), although it means 500g. Imperial measurements were based on commonly used quantities, rather than arbitrarily set physical constants.

Oh, and as for rounding up if/when the Euro comes in, I lived in Spain when the converted, and after the Peseta finally became obsolete, things went up dramatically.
Some things that used to cost 100ptas went up to 1 Euro - An increase of 67% !!!

[jake-the-peg]

Loads of old'uns seem to reckon that old money was better but in my experience when you ask them what 2 pound 8 and five pence plus 3 pound 12 and 8 pence was you suddenly get a lot of stammering and counting on fingers!

I haven't met anone who seriously thinks in old money now for years!

The Euro's neither here nor there it's doing things in decimal that's important - I wish we'd bit the bullet years ago and gone fully into kilometers etc. People now have this strange sort of 'bilingual' state wher we think in litres for cartons of fruit juice and pints for beer sometimes pounds and sometimes kilos. But definately tonnes - I couldn't even tell you how much a ton is! -oh but then there's a long and short ton isn't there?

And a hundredweight isn't a hundred of anything is it?

Wonder how long people went on working things out in groats :c)

[Lonnie]

You can't beat Pounds Shillings and pence, but then, i'm an old'n, and really can't stand all this metric nonsense, I can handle it, but it makes me come out in a cold sweat.

[Keeprockin]

The ten bob was to help ii making easier to give change.
Sorry Jake. Lifes not all about making things easy.No doubt,decimal is easier to add up/divide etc,but i'm quite prepared to use a few grey cells, it's about preserving some individuality. Next step;all EEC members speaking a common language to make everything easier?

[Golden Shred]

When I was younger we had nicker, dollars, half dollars, two-bobs, tanners, joeys, sprats, coppers, ha'pennys and farthings. It was not unusual to get a double florin in your change and the copper coins often carried dates as far back as 1840. Many's the time I have carried out surveys measured in chains and purchased timber by the St Petersburg Standard. I have also purchased much stonework that was "circular circular sunk".

[spudqueen]

Right, so decimal is ten, try dividing that into anything other than half. With imperial money/weights you can easily halve or quarter things without any fuss. If I'm making something from a recipe I always use imperial measures. I can add/take away from the measurements at will.

[lankeela]

We sell peanuts in bags weighing 2.7 kilos. We nine times out of ten have to explain to people that this is just under six pounds (in old money!). I think we should be allowed to sell them how we like, but the rules say we can only use metric, and for most of our customers this means very little.