In the Russian language, almost every word can be matched with hundreds of synonyms. Take at least the well-known "money": cash, currency, earnings, salary, pay, cash, colloquially - "grandmother", "cabbage", "greens" ... Money in English, contrary to a common misconception, is also not limited to one single translation. If you dig deeper, you can find a lot of unusual synonyms and expressions.
Neutral translation
The theme of money in English is covered from many different angles. For those who are not sure what kind of emotional coloring they want to give the noun “money” in their monologue, there is an ideal word - money. Money is universal money. So it can be said about salary:
- I earn a lot of money. - I make a lot of money.
About cash:
- I have no money in my pockets. “I have no money in my pockets.”
And about such a thing as “money”, on the scale of the whole human society:
- Money is important for survival. - Money is important for survival.
You can find another use for this universal translation of "money" into English. If the speaker’s sole purpose is a simple, straightforward dialogue, then this word is enough. If he wants to speak English about money with a full understanding of the topic, he will have to make out a few more commonly used synonyms.
Cash - cash
So you can only say about the money that is in your pocket. Not on a credit card, not on a bank account, but only there and in the form in which they can be immediately used. The difference with abstract money can be traced in the following example:
- I got a lot of money, but I have no cash. “I have a lot of money, but I don’t have any cash with me.”
The word cash can often be found when communicating in a store:
- Are you paying by card or by cash? - Do you prefer to pay by credit card or in cash?
Bank - "cash desk"
If you want to say that someone has earned a whole bunch of money, the word bank fits simply perfectly. Of course, its main translation is “bank,” but another definition is given in the dictionaries: a huge amount of money - a large sum of money.
- He got a real bank! - He hit the jackpot!
By the way, the word bank can also be a verb:
- We are banking money - We "make" money / we make money.
Perhaps this is precisely the word that gave rise to the expression “ban” in youth slang - to earn.
Bread and dough - bread and dough
A little strange, but still very popular analogues of money in English, which, if you pay attention to origin, is still more logical than "cabbage". These two synonyms came to everyday English from Cockney, a specific city of the lower social strata in London. It is only natural that for the poor “daily bread” is an analogue of money, and without a “test” there is no bread. Here are the phrases and have taken root:
- I got no bread, could you pay for my breakfast? “I don’t have any money with me, will you pay for my breakfast?”
- It is a very stupid idea to believe you will make any dough out of this! “It's a foolish idea to think that you can make money out of it.”
I must say that the somewhat "colloquial" shade of these words in modern English has completely erased and is perceived quite adequately even among wealthy people.
Chips - what is the relationship between money and chips?
No, this is not just another "grocery" synonym for cockney. The word chips, in addition to the obvious meaning of chips, also has other “chips” in poker and other gambling games. So it’s not at all difficult to trace the connection with money.
- Have you got any chips? - Do you have money?
Cabbage and green - "cabbage" and "greens"
Money in English is also often called "cabbage" and "greens," as you might guess, because of the corresponding color of the notes. However, if cabbage can be used by analogy with the Russian language:
- Have you got any cabbage? - Do you have "Cabbage"?
That word green has a less mundane connotation and is used in the context of statements close to philosophical:
- Freedom takes green! - Freedom costs greenery!
- It's the green that we all need. “Greens are what we all need.”
Paper / papers and coins - “papers” and “coins”
This is not to say that speaking of money in general, paper is applicable only to banknotes, and coins - only to coins. Both of these synonyms have a very common meaning:
- I work for paper, not for pleasure - I work for money, not for pleasure.
- If we had more coins, our lives would become much happier! - If we had more money, life would have been much happier.
Currency - "currency"
This word is more characteristic not for everyday dialogs, but as a term in economics or sociology. Money in English, as well as in Russian, does not always indicate what is stored in people’s pockets. So in this case it is impossible to say "I have no currency - I have no money," but we can say "The currency of this country is the currency in this country."
Persistent expressions
The content of this article has proven that the word "money" in English can be translated in different ways. The same applies to stable expressions, which are also a lot in the language of Misty Albion:
- Earn money, make money, bank money - make money, make money.
- Pay money, spend money - pay, spend money.
- Easy money - easy money.
- Quick cash - fast money.
- No honey - no money! - No honey - no money! (an old saying, the meaning of which is that you cannot get money just like that).
Other phrases and expressions can easily be found in songs, films and books in English.