Spanish Slang for Money—And What It Can Tell Us About Our Future
28 May 2025 #miscThe other day, I jumped into a discussion on LinkedIn about slang for money.
I shared the Spanish slang for money:
- Plata. Same word for silver and money.
- Pavos, turkeys.
- Lana, wool.
And in some regions of my country, to designate millions:
- Melones, melons. Yes, just like the fruit.
- Palos, sticks. Yes, like pieces of wood.
While writing my comment on LinkedIn, I realized those words represent goods we used for value exchange centuries ago when we didn’t have coins or pieces of paper. I don’t know the exact origin of those words. But it makes sense, right?
These days, our definition of money has changed.
Time and attention are our most valuable assets now. The book “Your Money or Your Life” defines money as what we trade in exchange for our time. Maybe it isn’t crazy to imagine a future where “seconds of watching ads” or “minutes of doomscrolling” become our new currency. Not dollars or euros or pesos.
Maybe one day paying for dinner will cost an hour of attention or two. Scrolling, clicking, and absorbing ads designed to keep you hooked.