quid

quid — noun

1. an informal British word for a pound (£) in money, used in everyday conversation

1.名詞B1
釋義

an informal British word for a pound (£) in money, used in everyday conversation to talk about prices, costs, and amounts of cash a person has or needs.

例句

Yan paid thirty quid for that vintage jacket at the weekend market.

pay + [amount] + quid + for + something

Andrei asked if Sade could lend him a few quid until payday.

lend + someone + a few quid

同義詞
  • pound

    the standard, neutral term; quid is the informal equivalent

  • pound sterling

    full formal name of the currency, rarely used in speech

文法句型

[number] + quid

a few / a couple of + quid

quid + per / for + something

用法筆記

The plural form is identical to the singular: write 'ten quid', never 'ten quids'. The verb stays singular too ('Ten quid is enough'). This word is very common in spoken British English but should be replaced with 'pound(s)' in formal or written contexts.

常見錯誤

❌I paid twenty quids for this scarf.
✅I paid twenty quid for this scarf.
💡quid does not take an -s in the plural.
❌The train ticket costs five quid, sir.
✅The train ticket costs five pounds, sir.
💡use 'pounds' in formal or customer-service situations.

2. a small, firm lump of a substance made to be kept in the mouth and chewed on wit

2.名詞C1
釋義

a small, firm lump of a substance made to be kept in the mouth and chewed on without being swallowed — most often chewing tobacco, associated with an older or rural habit of chewing rather than smoking it.

例句

The old cowboy took a large quid of tobacco and began to chew it slowly.

a quid of + tobacco

Kian watched his grandfather pack a fresh quid into his cheek before heading out to the fields.

pack a quid into one’s cheek

同義詞
  • wad

    a more general term for any lump of soft material, not limited to tobacco

  • plug

    a pressed block of chewing tobacco, sold as a commercial product

文法句型

a quid of + [chewable substance]

用法筆記

This sense is much less common than the money sense and is mainly found in older texts, historical descriptions, or stories set in rural American or maritime settings. In modern everyday speech, 'quid' almost exclusively refers to British money.

常見錯誤

❌He put a quid of gum in his mouth.
✅He put a wad of gum in his mouth.
💡'quid' is not used for modern chewing gum; use 'wad' or 'piece' instead.