''Brass razoo'' is an Australian phrase that was first recorded in soldiers' slang in

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. It is defined in the

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as "a non-existent coin of trivial value". It is commonly used in the expression ''I haven't got a brass razoo'', meaning the speaker is out of money. Whilst mock coins of 1 Razoo are occasionally produced, no actual monetary unit has ever been so named. Some speculate that the term arises from

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and lexicographers have disputed and considered theories of the origins of the phrase, but most find no theory satisfactory.

Origin

''Razoo'' may be a corruption of ''a sou'', the smallest French coin. ''Brass'' is a common slang term for 'money'. Eric Partridge, in his ''Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English'', cites the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

word ''rahu''. Harry Orsman's ''Dictionary of New Zealand English'' (1997) makes a more confident conjecture. As ''

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'' reported in December 2007, a

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has taken its name from the

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meaning of ''razoo'' for a small coin. Another posited origin is a phrase used by Australian soldiers serving in France, and considered a joking reference used between Australian infantry and American troops. It was based on the Yankee " blowing a raspberry" also called a "razoo", a mouth-sound made to sound like a fart.

References

{{Reflist Fictional currencies New Zealand English Australian slang

Origin

See also

References