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he had a few bob in my pocket

English translation: have a little bit of money


GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:have a few bob in one's pocket (UK)
English translation:have a little bit of money
Entered by: Nikki Scott-Despaigne
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22:22 May 25, 2003Login or register (free) for more options.
English to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary
English term or phrase: he had a few bob in my pocket
- He's a hell raiser. And you have also had your period didn’t you?
- I used to get about a bit yeah. Young man, suddenly had a few bob in my pocket yeah. Um.. yeah of course. That was a short one, wasn’t it?

Is he saying that young man owed him money?
lim0nka
Poland
Local time: 08:26
I had money in my pocket (third person reference)
Explanation:
The writer is referring to himself in the third person: I was a guy with a bit of money in my pocket.

HTH
Selected response from:

Nancy Lynn Bogar
Canada
Local time: 02:26
Grading comment
I guess I am too tired to think. Haven't noticed a comma after 'young man'. Thank you all for your help. :)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9I had money in my pocket (third person reference)
Nancy Lynn Bogar
5 +4a few shillings in my pocketvirgotra
4 +4a few shillings
SwissTell


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
I had money in my pocket (third person reference)


Explanation:
The writer is referring to himself in the third person: I was a guy with a bit of money in my pocket.

HTH

Nancy Lynn Bogar
Canada
Local time: 02:26
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 421
Grading comment
I guess I am too tired to think. Haven't noticed a comma after 'young man'. Thank you all for your help. :)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Marian Greenfield
0 min
  -> thanks!
agree  Florence Evans
2 mins
  -> thanks!
agree  Jeroen Latour
6 mins
  -> thanks!
agree  Elenacb
20 mins
  -> thanks!
agree  Kim Metzger
22 mins
  -> thanks!
neutral  SwissTell: your answer is ok, neutral enough, although a Bob is still a Shilling of olden times. And I looked it up in the meantime and my memory seems intact: 12 pence to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound.
36 mins
  -> yep - I couldn't remember which was 12, and 20. My first trip to the UK was in 1987
agree  J. Leo
43 mins
  -> thanks!
agree  xxxIno66
2 hrs
  -> thanks!
agree  Sarah Ponting
8 hrs
  -> thanks!
agree  airmailrpl
10 hrs
  -> thanks!
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
a few shillings


Explanation:
in the former times, before the UK went metric, a Pound had 20 Shillings.
A shilling was referred to as a "bob".

SwissTell
United States
Local time: 02:26
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 166

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Nancy Lynn Bogar: was it 20, or 12 shillings to the pound?
5 mins
  -> a good question. Too long ago for me to be definite - the other was of course PENCE. At any rate, that does not influence the CORE of the answer which is not 20 or 12 but SHILLINGS being a BOB
agree  Kim Metzger: "In former times" there were 20 shillings to the pound.
19 mins
  -> tks. Kim. Yes, I just looked it up. "12 pence to the shilling". See www.hiwaay.net.
agree  xxxIno66
2 hrs
agree  EdithK
6 hrs
agree  Sarah Ponting
8 hrs
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
a few shillings in my pocket


Explanation:
...which were certainly twelve pence to the shilling and twenty shillings to the pound!!!

virgotra
Italy
Local time: 08:26
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kim Metzger
6 mins
  -> thanks!
agree  Nancy Lynn Bogar: that's what came to my mind.
12 mins
  -> thanks!
agree  SwissTell: obviously, after MY answer above!
16 mins
  -> thanks!
agree  xxxIno66
1 hr
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