wonga

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Angloromani [Term?], from Romani angar (coal), from Sanskrit अङ्गार (áṅgāra, charcoal, coal), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hángāras, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óngʷl̥. The English term coal was itself used as a slang term for money in England in the 18th and 19th century.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈwɒŋɡə/
    • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ɒŋɡə

Noun[edit]

wonga (uncountable)

  1. (slang, Britain, chiefly London, New Zealand) Money.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:money
    A whole wodge of wonga.
    • 2009, K. O. Dahl, The Fourth Man: A Thriller, Minotaur Books, →ISBN, page 59:
      I don't mean to be difficult, I said to the madame in reception, but I'm paying a lot of wonga, so these women of yours should be able to manage a bit of service, shouldn't they, I said, and then I was given a voucher.

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Anagrams[edit]