The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

5.5 - Making the World Go Round
Yip Harburg also provided the lyrics to the depression-era song "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" in 1932.
Read a book in which a monetary unit is found intact in the title or subtitle. Plurals can be used.
Examples: Chasing the Dime, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade

REQUIRED: Specify the monetary unit that you are using, the country in which is is/was used, and the title/subtitle word in which it is found.

Reserved

Reserved

This thread is now open!

Is this limited to US currency or can the unit be from another country like "pound", "shilling", "real", "mark" "won"?

Also, could it be a currency that is no longer in use like "phoenix" (Greece)?

Will the symbol of a currency count, such as $, or does it have to be the word?

TraceyL wrote: "Will the symbol of a currency count, such as $, or does it have to be the word?"

Lauren wrote: "Is this limited to US currency or can the unit be from another country like "pound", "shilling", "real", "mark" "won"?

Also, could it be a currency that is no longer in use like "phoenix" (Greece)?"

it must be the word, and it can be any time or place - but if it's not something current, a reference would be helpful

Thanks!

Can it appear within a word like "cent" in adjacent?

Amy wrote: "Can it appear within a word like "cent" in adjacent?"

note the words of the task - "a monetary unit is found intact"

SRC Moderator wrote: "Amy wrote: "Can it appear within a word like "cent" in adjacent?"

note the words of the task - "a monetary unit is found intact""

Figured it was okay, but just wanted to be certain since there was no embedded word in the examples.

Amy wrote: "Figured it was okay, but just wanted to be certain since there was no embedded word in the examples..."

Actually, that's why Billion-Dollar was in the examples. "Dollar" is found intact in "Billion-Dollar."

Can slang terms for monetary units be used, such as buck = dollar or fin = 5 dollar bill?

Wayne wrote: "Can slang terms for monetary units be used, such as buck = dollar or fin = 5 dollar bill?"

no, just "offical" monetary units.

Would 'grand' work? The google dictionary says it is informal, but it seems similar to 'dime'...

Hannah wrote: "Would 'grand' work? The google dictionary says it is informal, but it seems similar to 'dime'..."


Dime is the official name of the circulating coin from the U.S. Mint. "Grand" is slang.

Sandy wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Would 'grand' work? The google dictionary says it is informal, but it seems similar to 'dime'..."


Dime is the official name of the circulating coin from the U.S. Mint. "Grand" is s..."

Ohh good to know, thank you! Sorry for asking if it is perhaps considered common knowledge.. I'm not a native speaker of english.

Hannah wrote: "Ohh good to know, thank you! Sorry for asking if it is perhaps considered common knowledge.. I'm not a native speaker of english..."

It doesn't have to be a US monetary unit, or that of any other English speaking counry.

I'm thinking about re-reading Farthing, Ha'penny, and Half a Crown. Do all of these work?
(I'm not sure if any of this is slang and not acceptable. Penny is also a U.S. coin, but the other two are/were English amounts which I'm less familiar with.)

Julia wrote: "I'm thinking about re-reading Farthing, Ha'penny, and Half a Crown. Do all of these work?
(I'm not sure if any of this is slang and not acceptable. Penny..."

I suggest you look those up and see if they were/are official British currency. I am no expert on the currency of other countries.

The word "farthing" from Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...
1a: a former British monetary unit equal to ¹/₄ of a penny
b: a coin representing this unit

So it was an official monetary unit, in the past, but not in the present.

Ha'penny
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...
Definition of ha'penny
: HALFPENNY

Halfpenny
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...
Definition of halfpenny
plural halfpence\ ˈhā-​pən(t)s , US also ˈhaf-​ˌpen(t)s , ˈhäf-​\ or halfpennies : a formerly used British coin representing one half of a penny

So it was an official monetary unit, in the past, but not in the present. Also, ha'penny is short for halfpenny

Crown (British money)
https://coins.nd.edu/colcoin/colcoini...
A crown equals five shillings

A useful reference: https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictiona... !

Danish "ore", Bulgarian "Lev", German "mark", Indonesian "sen", Iranian "rial", and Vietnamese "Sy" all look like strong contenders to appear intact in another word!

Would a possessive work? Thinking The Crown's Game.

Shelby wrote: "Would a possessive work? Thinking The Crown's Game."

since the word must be found intact, possessives aren't an issue.

Would "gold" be considered a monetary unit?

Molly wrote: "Would "gold" be considered a monetary unit?"

no

What about plural - as in pennies? Newspaper, Pennies, Cardboard, and Eggs--For Growing a Better Garden: More than 400 New, Fun, and Ingenious Ideas to Keep Your Garden Growing Great All Season Long

Kim wrote: "What about plural - as in pennies? [book:Newspaper, Pennies, Cardboard, and Eggs--For Growing a Better Garden: More than 400 New, Fun, and Ingenious Ideas to Keep Your Garden Growing Great All Seas..."

yes. Plurals are allowed, even though not technically found intact.

I THINK this should be okay, but I just wanted to double check beforehand...

I want to read Dark Angel for this prompt.

An angel is a very old (as in, 1400s) coin from the UK. Evidence here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_(...

Would that be okay to use?

Siobhan wrote: "I THINK this should be okay, but I just wanted to double check beforehand...

I want to read Dark Angel for this prompt.

An angel is a very old (as in, 1400s) coin from the UK. Evid..."

sure, be sure to add the link when you post.

Sandy wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "I THINK this should be okay, but I just wanted to double check beforehand...

I want to read Dark Angel for this prompt.

An angel is a very old (as in, 1400s) coin f..."

Thank you. Shall note it on my spreadsheet! :)