macmillan

Teacher’s Notes English

dictionary

Dosh is UK’s favourite

Aim of worksheet
To give students reading practice and to extend vocabulary. The theme of the text is euphemisms and terms
for money.

Time and materials

Allow about 45 minutes.
The activity is best done with a dictionary so the students can find and/or check their answers. The definitions are taken
from the Second Edition of the Macmillan English Dictionary (MED) and all the language in the worksheet is in the MED.

Procedure
1 Hand out a copy of the worksheet to each student. Ask the students to look at the title of the article and to predict
what the text is about. Allow them to use a dictionary to check the meaning of dosh.
2 Ask the students to read the text. Tell them not to worry at this stage about the exact meaning of the terms for
money contained in the text.
3 Elicit a summary of the main ideas of the text. You could ask a few comprehension questions to check
understanding and to help explain meaning. For example:

What is the United Kingdom’s favourite word for money?

What are the two possible origins of dosh?
How many euphemisms for money are there in the text?
What are coppers, fivers and tenners?
Is the word quid commonly used in English?
Where does the term grand come from?
Why were the 1980s a lucrative period for euphemisms for money?
4 Ask the students, working alone or in pairs and using a dictionary, to answer the questions in Activities 1 to 3.
5 Go through the answers and check understanding with the students.
6 Ask the students to discuss questions 1 and 2 in the For discussion section. Ask them to report back anything
interesting from their discussions.

Answers

Activity 1
▲

a clear and noticeable

b a word made by combining the sound and meaning of two other words, for example smog combines smoke and fog.
Other examples include brunch (breakfast and lunch), camcorder (camera and video recorder), fanzine (fanatic and
magazine), fortnight (fourteen and night), infomercial (information and commercial), moped (motor and pedal), motel
(motorcar and hotel), Oxbridge (Oxford and Cambridge).
c confuses
d a way of writing, and saying, loads of, meaning a lot of
e used, often humorously, for talking about people who have the qualities that a particular type of person should have

This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007.
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Teacher’s Notes English

dictionary

Answers (continued)
Activity 2
▲

a a wad is a thick pile of paper or banknotes

b readies means money which is readily available in the form of coins or notes
c brass is a yellow metal made from combining copper and zinc and early coins had this colour
d dough is the mixture of flour, water, fat etc that is baked to make bread, which is also a term for money
e folding refers to banknotes which are usually folded when in someone’s wallet or pocket

Activity 3
▲

a burn b sense c made d rope e object f mouth g water h put

This page is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007.