funny money

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funny money

1. Counterfeit money. He got arrested for trying to use funny money at a department store.

2. Money that can only be used in a certain place. You can't use that funny money here—it's only good at the school store.

3. Cash in a foreign currency. We need to exchange this funny money before our flight home.

See also: funny, money

funny money

1. Sl. counterfeit money. The bank teller spotted the funny money in the man's deposit almost immediately.

2. Fig. temporary or substitute money, good only in certain places. What am I going to do with all this funny money when I leave here? It's no good anywhere else.

3. Fig. foreign currency. (Jocular.) We had better buy some gifts and get rid of some of this funny money before our flight.

See also: funny, money

funny money

Counterfeit money; also, money from an obscure or questionable source. For example, The police warned storekeepers that some funny money was being passed around town. This expression probably endures because of its rhyme. [1930s]

See also: funny, money

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

funny money

1. n. counterfeit money. The bank teller spotted the funny money in the man’s deposit almost immediately.

2. n. military script; temporary or substitute money, good only in certain places. What am I going to do with all this funny money when I leave here? It’s no good anywhere else.

3. n. foreign currency. (Jocular.) We had better buy some gifts and get rid of some of this funny money before our flight.

See also: funny, money

funny money

Peculiar currency, either because it is counterfeit or because it comes from dubious sources. This expression originated in the United States in the 1930s and became popular after World War II, when American tourists began to use it for any foreign currency as well. It is somewhat derogatory, implying that foreign money is not as “real” or has less worth than domestic currency.

See also: funny, money

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References in periodicals archive ?

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Conspicuous nonchalance. (BTW)

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The 30-second radio advert, costing Jory GBP11,000, promotes his recently published book 'Funny Money'.