General
net
What does net mean?
Ten of a unit — pence, items, or minutes — depending on the patter.
"Give it a net minutes and the lunch crowd'll be on us."
Origin
Cockney costermonger back-slang of the 1840s ('ten' reversed), part of the coded number system Henry Mayhew (1851) transcribed and Hotten (1859) listed, used so sellers could discuss prices openly in front of buyers.
Frequently asked questions
What does net mean in back-slang?
It means ten — 'ten' said backwards in Cockney costermonger back-slang.
What are the other back-slang numbers?
They follow the reversal pattern, for example erf or erth (three), rouf (four), and net (ten); strings of them formed coded prices.
Why count in back-slang?
So traders could agree real prices, margins and change among themselves while the customer heard only nonsense.
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