sovvy
British slang for a sovereign — the gold coin worth one pound sterling that was a standard unit of currency through the 19th and early 20th centuries.
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British slang for a sovereign — the gold coin worth one pound sterling that was a standard unit of currency through the 19th and early 20th centuries. Sovereigns became iconic symbols of wealth, and getting or spending a sovvy had weight. The coin is still minted today as a collectible and store of value, so 'sovvy' occasionally resurfaces in antiques, numismatics, or nostalgic conversation, though it's far less common than it once was on the streets.
The old pawnbroker bit the sovvy between his teeth before nodding and sliding it into his drawer.
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(UK, slang) A sovereign .
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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- sov81%
(British, slang) A sovereign .
- sov77%
(British, slang) Pound sterling.
- skiv71%
Skiv was British slang for a sovereign — the gold coin worth one pound sterling that circulated in the UK until the early 20th century. It belongs to the rich tradition of Cockney and underworld slang for currency denominations, where almost every coin had its own rhyming or coded nickname. While you wouldn't use it today except in deliberately retro or historical contexts, it pops up in Victorian-era literature, old crime fiction, and nostalgic references to Britain's pre-decimal monetary culture.
- sow's baby65%
A delightfully obscure piece of old British slang for a sixpence — the small silver coin worth six old pennies that circulated until decimalisation in 1971. The origin of the phrase is debated, but it fits into a long tradition of British rhyming and whimsical slang for coins. A sow's baby might have been humorous shorthand born from the pig's associations with small, round, pink things — though the exact logic of Victorian and Georgian slang rarely needs to be airtight to stick.