STERLING: In case some readers didn't realise this, some other countries
have currencies that are also called pounds - the only ones I can think of
are Ireland (where it's pronounced 'punt') and in Italy the word 'Lira' is
the Italian for pound, and the currency symbol is similar - at least it was
until it all got dumped for the Euro. Which probably makes Sterling the
only currency left called Pound. Our pound is called Sterling because we
are too self-important to called it simply the British Pound (like the US
dollar versus the Canadian dollar versus the Australian dollar; French Franc
versus Swiss Franc etc.)
In Scotland the three major Scottish banks all produce their own bank-notes,
all with totally different designs and colours on them. Although these are
legal currency throughout the UK, English shop-keepers often look at them
suspiciously and may refuse to accept them - worse still is that Bureaux de
Change outside the UK will often give a worse exchange rate, despite the
fact that they are worth exactly the same!! I haven't yet (in a year of
living in Scotland) absorbed any particular Scottish slang for the currency.
Guinea - my understanding is that this unit of currency (#1 plus a shilling)
derives from auctions, particularly racing horse auctions (where I have a
feeling it is still used?). The idea is that the extra shilling is the
auctioneers commission - i.e. if something is sold for 50 guineas, the
seller gets #50 and the auctioneer gets 50s commission.
Richard
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