Score

Score (noun / UK slang)

Definition: Twenty quid (£20), or a single twenty-pound note.

Pronunciation: /skɔː/ (rhymes with door and snore)

Where It Comes From: People always assume it’s Cockney rhyming slang, but it goes way further back than the East End. It comes from the old Norse word skor, meaning a notch or cut. Centuries ago, shepherds and market folk tallied their sheep or sacks in bundles of twenty, slicing a mark into a piece of wood every time they hit that number. London street traders, market barrows, and racetrack bookmakers kept the slang going for cash notes, and it simply stuck as part of everyday British trading talk.

How People Actually Use It: Dead standard across the UK when handling cash or settling up small debts.

You hear it all the time down the boozer, at car boot sales, or when splitting a Friday night takeaway with your mates. If someone covers your taxi fare or buys you a few pints, you tell them you’ll chuck them a score next time. It sits right in the middle of British money terms—halfway between a tenner (£10) and a pony (£25).

Examples in the Wild:

• “Stick a score in the petrol tank and that should get us up the motorway.”

  Translation: “Put twenty pounds’ worth of fuel in the car to reach our destination.”

• “Found this vintage denim jacket on a stall for a score—proper bargain.”

  Translation: “I bought this jacket second-hand for only twenty quid.”

• “I owe you a score for those cinema tickets from last weekend.”

  Translation: “I need to pay you back twenty pounds for the film.”

Similar Slang: Twenty quid, Bluey, Tenner (£10), Pony (£25), Bullseye (£50), Fiver (£5)