Nicker
/ˈnɪkər/noun
A slang term for a British one-pound coin, or a short, low horse sound.
Did you know?The money sense of *nicker* is British slang of uncertain origin, while the horse-sound sense is an imitative word, so the two meanings are historically separate rather than one hidden magical root.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
nicker
“British slang for a pound sterling; also a short, low horse sound”
19th Century
English
nicker
“An imitative word for a horse's low whinny or neigh”
19th Century
English
nicker
“British slang for a pound sterling, origin uncertain”
Earlier Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*neh- / *hnik- (uncertain)
“No securely established direct ancestor for the money slang; the sound-word sense is imitative rather than inherited”
Explore more surprising origins