Dictionary

finnuf en · NOUN

Etymology

From Yiddish פֿינף (finf, “five”). Doublet of cinque, fin (“five currency units”), five, pimp (“five”), ponzu, punch (“beverage”), and sengi (“currency”).

Meanings

1. (UK, archaic, slang) A five-pound (£5) note; the sum of five pounds.
   • "Ya-ar, she's rich, ain't she? Wotjer think? I lay they got a 'aul! Sixty bob, may be. And crowns! And finnufs! Ar!" 1949, Theodore Bonnet, The Mudlark, page 216:
   • Them that puts the most steam into it will get a finnuf slipped to 'em. 1927, Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb, Ladies and Gentlemen, page 129:

Forms