Sawbuck

Posted by Bob on June 12, 2000

In Reply to: Sawbuck posted by nmatte on June 12, 2000

: Where did this phrase in reference to a ten dollar bill come from.

The original meaning of "sawbuck" is what we now generally call a sawhorse, specifically the x-shaped crossbars that form the ends. The common shape of the sawbuck (a term in common use) was applied to the $10 bill. X, after all, is the roman numeral for 10. "Double sawbbuck" was a twenty, and "fin" was a fiver. Hardly anybody ever uses this slang today.