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simoleon (suh-MOH-lee-uhn) - n., (slang) a dollar.
Very specifically American slang, this one, dating from the late 19th century. The origin is uncertain, but the common theory is that it's a fanciful blend of simon, slang for a dollar coin adopted from earlier English slang for a sixpence coin, plus Napoleon, slang for a French twenty-franc coin with the image of Napoleon III -- and certainly that sort of blending is of a kind with other Americanisms of the time.
And that's all the moolah I've got for the week -- back to the regular mix on Monday.
---L.
Very specifically American slang, this one, dating from the late 19th century. The origin is uncertain, but the common theory is that it's a fanciful blend of simon, slang for a dollar coin adopted from earlier English slang for a sixpence coin, plus Napoleon, slang for a French twenty-franc coin with the image of Napoleon III -- and certainly that sort of blending is of a kind with other Americanisms of the time.
And that's all the moolah I've got for the week -- back to the regular mix on Monday.
---L.
