Why is a dollar bill often referred to as a 'buck?'

dave_fl

Lots of speculation, no firm conclusions. Next time we start a language we have to keep better notes. The leading theory at the moment is that buck comes from an old practice in poker. Evidently in the 19th century frontier card players were so thick they couldn't remember whose turn it was to deal from one hand to the next. So they placed a counter or token in front of the dealer du jour. This token was called a buck, since it was commonly a buck knife, whose handle was made of buck horn. When the time came for the dealer to surrender the job to someone new, he (you saw this coming) 'passed the buck' to the new guy. Uh-huh. A more plausible theory is that buck is short for buckskin, a common medium of exchange in trading with the Indians. As early as 1748 we have people writing, 'Every cask of Whiskey shall be sold to you (Indians) for 5 Bucks.' The transition to dollars seems only natural. Mar 24 00, 4:46 PM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

What is the origin of the term 'buck' meaning a dollar? How thick is a dollar bill? Why do American people refer to money as "buck" instead of "dollar"? Whose picture is on the million dollar bill?

1 U.S. One Dollar Bill: 2001 Issue A few questions about the 2001 issuer of the United States one dollar bill. U.S. Currency Tough 10 Q fertigline Oct 03 02 804 plays 2 'Uncle Buck' (1989) 'Uncle Buck' is a Laugh out Loud funny movie and features my favorite actor the late, great John Candy! I have seen it billions of times so all questions are accurate and require great knowledge of the movie! Have Fun! Uncle Buck Average 10 Q MrBig May 30 00 5616 plays 3 Uncle Buck My favourite movie of all time has got to be 'Uncle Buck'. Uncle Buck Average 10 Q beautygirl Sep 06 01 6723 plays