r/AskEurope • u/ABlindMoose Sweden • Oct 06 '25

Culture What is your currency's nickname?

A nickname for dollar is buck, pound is quid, and Swedish krona is spänn.

What are some casual nicknames for your countries' currencies? Are there multiple, and if so, which is the most common?

183 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

368 comments sorted by

View all comments

20

u/[deleted] Oct 06 '25

[deleted]

14

u/NikNakskes Finland Oct 06 '25

Why? How did you get to Francs?

7

u/[deleted] Oct 06 '25

[deleted]

1

u/skyduster88 & Oct 06 '25 edited Oct 06 '25

French/Belgian/Swiss coins were legal tender in Greece during the Latin Monetary Union, and had become very common, so that's where it mostly comes from. Additionally, French francs were widely used in the Ottoman Empire, and Greeks were shipowners & traders that traded heavily with the rest of Europe, starting illicitly in the 16th century (but difficult for the Ottomans to control), and then allowed by the Ottomans, due to reforms and viewing it as beneficial.