Dough
Money, in old-fashioned slang.
- Origin: American slang for money; Green’s earliest listed citation is from 1848
- On the Slang-o-matic wheel: Boomers (born 1946–1964). That is who the translator files it under, not a claim that this generation coined it.
What it means
Dough means money. Cambridge Dictionary labels it old-fashioned slang and gives the example “I don’t want to work but I need the dough.” It means money without naming an amount, as in a pile of dough, short on dough or rolling in dough.
Where it comes from
The word is much older than the Boomers. Green’s Dictionary of Slang lists it in an 1848 dictionary of Americanisms, next to other money words of the day such as “dimes” and “rocks.” Green’s explains the image as bread being an essential part of life, so the stuff bread is made from stood for the money you live on.
Green’s citations continue through the twentieth century, including a 1974 novel set in the 1960s in which a character says, “Nah, I ain’t got no dough.”
Who says it now
The translator files dough under Boomers, the money word on their spoke of the wheel, though their parents and grandparents used it too. Cambridge now calls it old-fashioned. In our observation it still turns up in set phrases like “rolling in dough,” and from some younger speakers as a jokey, retro choice.
Tone
Casual and a little playful, with a whiff of old movies and gangster stories. It is not rude. Using it for a serious money conversation, such as rent or a loan, can sound like you are joking.
What adults hear, what kids mean
Older listeners may hear an ordinary, slightly dated word for money. A child may picture pizza or cookie dough first, which can make “He’s rolling in dough” sound very strange. Younger people who do know it may hear it as something from a grandparent or an old film.
How to use it
Dough is a mass noun, like money itself: you have some dough or a lot of dough, never “three doughs.” You can use it in phrases about having money or lacking it.
Two examples, written by us:
- I would love to come along, but I am short on dough until payday.
- Grandpa says he never made much dough, but he never missed a ballgame either.
How to answer it
If someone says they are short on dough, they are telling you money is tight, so answer the situation, not the word: offer a cheaper plan or let it go. If a grandparent asks whether you are “making good dough,” they are asking about your pay.
Same idea, other generations
The Slang-o-matic wheel files Dough under Boomers for the idea of money. These are the words it files under the same idea, by generation. They are related, not always exact translations:
Related slang
- Drag (Boomers): Something boring, tedious or annoying.
- Dig (Boomers): To like, enjoy or understand.
- Benjamins (Gen X): Hundred-dollar bills; by extension, money.
Try the slang translatorAll slang by generation
Sources
Meanings and dates on this page come from these dictionaries. Each quote is copied word for word from the linked page.
- Cambridge Dictionary
“old-fashioned slang money: I don't want to work but I need the dough.”
- Green's Dictionary of Slang
“1848 Bartlett Dict. Americanisms 356: tin. A slang word for money. 'Kelter,' 'dimes,' 'dough,' 'rocks,'”
“the idea of bread as an essential constituent of life”
“1974 (con. 1960s) R. Price Wanderers 9: 'You wanna hop a cab?' 'Nah, I ain't got no dough.'”