c-note

IPA/ˈsiː.nəʊt/
IPA/ˈsiː.noʊt/

c-note — noun

1. an informal American English term for a hundred-dollar bill; the name comes from

1.nounB2
Definition

an informal American English term for a hundred-dollar bill; the name comes from the Roman numeral C, which stands for one hundred

Example

Theo pulled a crumpled c-note from his pocket and paid for the group dinner.

collocation: crumpled c-note

A faded c-note lay tucked inside the old textbook that Grandma had given Mei.

passive: [possession] lay [location]

Common collocations
  • crumpled c-note
  • crisp c-note
  • single c-note
  • counterfeit c-note
  • c-note + from [person]
Synonyms
  • hundred-dollar bill

    the neutral, formal term used in any setting

  • Benjamin

    slang based on Benjamin Franklin's portrait on the bill; slightly more playful than c-note

  • hundred

    short informal form; can be used for any currency unit

Grammar Patterns

a c-note

c-note + [preposition]

Usage Note

Common in informal conversation and in American films and TV shows. Avoid using this word in formal writing or outside the United States, where listeners may not understand it.

Common Mistakes

The hotel fee is two hundred euros — do you have a c-note?
The hotel fee is two hundred euros
do you have a hundred-euro note?' — c-note refers specifically to US dollars, not any currency.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four terms all name a $100 US banknote but differ in register and context. A hundred-dollar bill is the neutral label used in banks, news reports, and official documents. C-note is an informal, somewhat old-fashioned slang term that originated in early 20th-century jazz and gangster culture; it still appears in American movies and casual conversation. Benjamin (or Benny) is more recent slang, referencing Benjamin Franklin's portrait on the bill, and carries a slightly playful or streetwise tone. Hundred is the bare shorthand used by cashiers and in everyday talk ('That'll be two hundred' — no bill word needed). In writing a cheque or filling out a form, use hundred-dollar bill. In a casual story about paying for dinner, c-note or hundred work naturally.

c-note ↗hundred-dollar billBenjamin ↗hundred ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • pay with a c-note
  • pull out a c-note
  • hand over a c-note

Prepositions

  • from (someone)
  • in (a wallet/pocket)
  • for (something)

Etymology

LatinEnglish

C-note is a compound of C (the Roman numeral for 100) and note (a 19th-century slang word for a banknote or piece of paper money). The term entered American slang in the early 1900s, and became especially popular in the 1920s–1940s through jazz songs, crime fiction, and film noir, where a character paying with a c-note signaled a big spender or shady deal. The prefix C- has also been used for other denominations (e.g. fin = 5-dollar bill, sawbuck = 10-dollar bill), but c-note is the only one still in common use today.