Is "sawbuck" generally recognized as $10 in North America? Elsewhere?

June 4, 2013 9:23 AM

I've been thinking of starting a small, single-serving Web site that offers a very specific service for $10. I was thinking about calling it “Sawbuck [Service]”. How much confidence should I have that the word "sawbuck" will be understood by most casual readers as meaning $10?
posted by Shepherd to Grab Bag (108 answers total)

I knew it referred to some amount of U.S. currency, but had to google the term to verify that it refers to $10. So, I wouldn't be too confident.
posted by Area Man at 9:25 AM on June 4, 2013 [6 favorites]

This is the first time I've heard the term, and I've lived in the US since I was 4 (I'm in my late 20s).
posted by capsizing at 9:25 AM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It's archaic but I still think it's a cool name, it has "buck" in it so it indicates money consciousness anyway, and you can explain it in your intro text. Go for it.
posted by Miko at 9:25 AM on June 4, 2013 [5 favorites]

I had no idea what you were talking about. I live in Northern California/the greater SF Bay Area.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:25 AM on June 4, 2013

Well, as a data point, I have literally never heard that term used for $10 before and would have no idea what you were talking about. (25-year-old from NC and NYC)

However, it also doesn't really matter! It's an interesting-sounding word. Go with it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:25 AM on June 4, 2013

Nope. I would have had to google to confirm because I thought a "Sawbuck" was a $5. If I thought of it at all.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:26 AM on June 4, 2013 [10 favorites]

I have heard the term and knew it referred to money, but did not know it refers to $10 (lived in US since birth, on both coasts, am in late 20s now).
posted by brainmouse at 9:26 AM on June 4, 2013 [4 favorites]

I have never heard that before. I'm in my mid-20s, have lived in the US all my life, have lived all over the West Coast and in New York.
posted by c'mon sea legs at 9:26 AM on June 4, 2013

I knew it was an amount of currency, but was waffling on $20 or $10.
posted by vegartanipla at 9:27 AM on June 4, 2013 [5 favorites]

Never heard that word before. Based on the tagline, I thought maybe it was some kind of woodworking tool that was cheap;)
posted by epanalepsis at 9:27 AM on June 4, 2013 [7 favorites]

This must be a Canadian thing. I've never heard about it in my life (late 20's, from the Northeast US).
posted by cairdeas at 9:28 AM on June 4, 2013

Never heard of it before. Late 30s, living in the Midwest, US citizen my whole life.
posted by RogueTech at 9:28 AM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I also assumed it had something to do with woodworking or maybe cattle or something that would happen in Texas.
posted by cairdeas at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2013 [3 favorites]

I think it would be fine, and that you should have a little 'What's a sawbuck?' link in your footer.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2013 [5 favorites]

No idea of the term but I live in Portland so I'm used to people reviving weird, archaic words to use in their new coffee/food cart/artisinal bike works businesses. So, I think you can use it and celebrate it. People may feel cooler for knowing it.
posted by amanda at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2013 [3 favorites]

I think most AE speakers will recognize it as slang for a denomination (and it implies a low denomination, so that's good) so I think you are good to go. For example, see Gameological's Sawbuck Gamer series.
posted by Think_Long at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2013

I would definitely think you were referring to a sawhorse.
posted by kiltedtaco at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

New Englander and New Yorker and don't believe I've ever heard that word before. At first glance, I thought this was a question about Starbucks.
posted by wondermouse at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2013

Adding to the growing consensus that people have no idea what a sawbuck is. I had no idea it meant $10. I'm 38, have lived all over the US.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:30 AM on June 4, 2013

Never heard it before (age 30, lived in New Orleans and San Francisco).
posted by radioamy at 9:30 AM on June 4, 2013

I knew "sawbuck" was about a bill, but I thought it was the $1 bill.
posted by Houstonian at 9:30 AM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

33 and lived all over the Midwest. Don't recall ever hearing that term.
posted by deadweightloss at 9:31 AM on June 4, 2013

34, East Coast and Midwest. I know the term means "some amount of money" but can never retain in my head what amount it means. I've looked it up multiple times and it never sticks. If I had to guess, I'd probably have said $20.
posted by Stacey at 9:32 AM on June 4, 2013

I have a vague recollection of hearing that term to refer to currency before, but it's not the first thing that comes to mind and I would have no idea the specific amount of money it referred to.

I know it's not the same word, but I have a different association for whatever reason.

I've lived in the US my whole life.
posted by Betelgeuse at 9:32 AM on June 4, 2013

Best answer: I know what a sawbuck is!! Sheesh. My dad used to complain that taking us all to the movies cost him a "triple saw". He used that term all the time and still does. He also calls a $5 a "finback" and $100 a "c-note".
posted by lakersfan1222 at 9:33 AM on June 4, 2013 [13 favorites]

43, U.S., midwest mostly but not entirely. Knew immediately it meant ten dollar bill. (Fin is the $5 and never heard anything other than "Jackson" for a $20. Either I'm old, or have read too many detective novels and court docs written by professionals who have also read too many detective novels.)
posted by crush-onastick at 9:34 AM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

I love A Terrible Llama's suggestion and also amanda's. I think that it's a catchy name and you could educate your customers when they come to your site.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 9:34 AM on June 4, 2013 [4 favorites]

48, Midwest US since birth, never heard the term. Would not think it was a money term if I heard it.

However I agree that it is a cool name that you could explain in the intro.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 9:35 AM on June 4, 2013

I'm pretty sure Stephen King (or some other writer who frequently writes stories about kids form the 50s) uses this word occasionally so I knew it was a form of currency, but didn't know how much.
posted by eunoia at 9:36 AM on June 4, 2013

I'm surprised so few of my fellow Americans are aware of slang terms for their simoleons. Definitely consider it a plus - Amanda's point that weird historicisms are in right now is a great one.
posted by Miko at 9:36 AM on June 4, 2013 [5 favorites]

Early 40s, SE USA here. I thought it meant a dollar bill.
posted by pointystick at 9:36 AM on June 4, 2013

30, grew up in South/Midwest, never heard of it. I hear "sawbuck" and think "sawhorse" apparently.
posted by agress at 9:36 AM on June 4, 2013

Never heard of it. I'm in my late 40s and have lived all over the US.

Metafilter probably now has the single greatest concentration of people who know what a sawbuck is of any online community. If you market your service to MeFites, you're golden.
posted by HotToddy at 9:37 AM on June 4, 2013 [7 favorites]

Urban Dictionary knows about it.
posted by Miko at 9:38 AM on June 4, 2013

Chiming in to say I've known the term for years, having lived on both coasts of the United States and in the middle. But it looks like I'm in the minority, so don't assume anyone knows what the name means.
posted by Longtime Listener at 9:38 AM on June 4, 2013

I'd never heard this before. But I like learning things, and I wouldn't have learned what a "sawbuck" was if you hadn't thought of naming your company after it. So go for it!
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:39 AM on June 4, 2013

Late 40s, lived around the U.S. and elsewhere; I thought it was $20. (Which later was a Yuppie Food Stamp, fwiw.)
posted by spacewrench at 9:40 AM on June 4, 2013

I knew it meant some smallish denomination but had no idea which one, though I'd probably have guessed 5 or 10. (Also I didn't know a fin until now.)
posted by jeather at 9:40 AM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

I know it is $10, but I have never used it in conversation. I think the idea for your website's name is clever, though. Most websites don't advertise in their name how much their product costs, so even if most people don't understand the meaning of "Sawbuck", the outcome would be no different as if you called it "Shepherd [Service]".
posted by deanc at 9:45 AM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Urban Dictionary knows about it.

Professional dictionaries know about it too.

I am familiar with it but I know many obscure words and I would be surprised if many young people did. That said, I think it is a fine name for your service. Just have a section of your web page explaining the nifty etymology. People who come across it and don't know it will learn something new!
posted by grouse at 9:45 AM on June 4, 2013

I've got a good vocab, and I know the term refers to a small bill, but I would have guessed $5 too. Still a great name for your site.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:47 AM on June 4, 2013

I have only seen it in crossword puzzles - and even now I thought it was one dollar. I would use it for you site, I just wouldn't expect many people to get it.
posted by florencetnoa at 9:49 AM on June 4, 2013

Midwest US, 33. My parents are pre-baby boomer generation (older than most of my peers'). Knew that it was old-timey term for $AMOUNT bill. Remembered I had heard "double sawbuck" to refer to $AMOUNT*2 bill, and deduced that $AMOUNT is 10.
IMHO, do it -- it's cool.
posted by mean square error at 9:51 AM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

I was aware of the term, but I only knew that it referred to a $10 bill in particular because it is used sometimes in crossword puzzles. Hearing "sawbuck" outside of that context still makes me think of a sawhorse first.
posted by stopgap at 9:52 AM on June 4, 2013

Also IMHO, use an "X" in the logo to represent the sawbuck/10.
posted by mean square error at 9:55 AM on June 4, 2013 [5 favorites]

Canadian here, never heard this term until right now.
posted by windykites at 9:57 AM on June 4, 2013

Late 40s. I knew it was a denomination but would not have known whether $1 or $10. It might be fun to think about Two Fins or Two Abes, but Sawbuck might be better with the "buck" clue.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 9:57 AM on June 4, 2013

I had no idea so many people didn't know this term. (And I believe it's called a sawbuck because the roman numeral for 10 (X) looks like a sawbuck.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 10:01 AM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

Datapoint: Yes, I knew what it was, and immediately thought $10. New Englander, 37yo.
posted by .kobayashi. at 10:02 AM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

30's New Yorker here - I knew it represented some small amount of money, but not the exact amount.

Still think it might be a fun name for a website. You can have a "History of the Sawbuck" section.
posted by Julnyes at 10:03 AM on June 4, 2013

Wow, I'm mad old. I know the term and knew what amount it represented.

However, I don't think any of that is necessary at all. It's a cool word, makes me want to click.

NYer, and, erm, older than y'all.
posted by thinkpiece at 10:07 AM on June 4, 2013

I know what a sawbuck is. No idea if it has meaning outside of the US though. But who cares? Use it if you like it. That "everyone" doesn't know the word just makes it cooler. As long as you make sure that it clearly states that your product costs "$10" on your actual product page, you're good to go, daddy-o.
posted by spilon at 10:08 AM on June 4, 2013

mean square error: Also IMHO, use an "X" in the logo to represent the sawbuck/10.

Oh! An actual sawbuck looks like an X, which is 10 in Roman numerals. Makes perfect sense now.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:14 AM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

NYC, raised in Midwest and Central PA - knew the term sawbuck but always thought it was a $5
posted by Mchelly at 10:16 AM on June 4, 2013

I have heard the term before, but only as a clue in crossword puzzles.
posted by number9dream at 10:18 AM on June 4, 2013

I've heard the term before but didn't know it meant $10 - also only seen it in crosswords. Early 30s New Englander here. I still like it as the name for a site, as long as it's (cheekily?) explained in the 'about us' section or what have you
posted by hungrybruno at 10:22 AM on June 4, 2013

I've heard it- to me it brings up old-tymey associations, like something Yosemite Sam would say in a saloon. For whatever that's worth. Also, like someone above, I always thought it meant five dollars.
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:23 AM on June 4, 2013

Northern California born, living in SoCal. If you said, "What does sawbuck mean?" I would have no idea. If you said, "Have you ever heard that sawbuck is a name for $10?" it would jog my memory and I would say yes.
posted by insectosaurus at 10:26 AM on June 4, 2013

Apparently, I'm an outlier, but I did it was $10. So I guess it just depends if you want to attract an educated clientele or not. :)

But seriously, even if most people wouldn't immediately know, I think it's a cool enough name that you should stick with it.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 10:28 AM on June 4, 2013

A "Fin" is [derived] Yiddish slang for Five. If you put two fins next to each other, you end up looking at something like saw-teeth, AKA: Sawbuck.

[EDIT: I think the original word is funf. Germanic.]
posted by endotoxin at 10:28 AM on June 4, 2013

Cool name, though I didn't know it meant $10. As long as your checkout process doesn't say "Total: One Sawbuck", you should be fine.
posted by the jam at 10:34 AM on June 4, 2013

41, originally from NYC living in Georgia for the last 18 years, and I've heard it a couple of times, but only said by people of my parents' generation and older.
posted by deadmessenger at 10:36 AM on June 4, 2013

32, from the mid-Atlantic and New England, and I'm definitely aware of what it is. That's what my family calls it. That's what some friends call it. I'm actually surprised it's not as commonly known as I thought.

Now I wonder how many people I've confused over the years. Whelp.
posted by General Malaise at 10:37 AM on June 4, 2013

Texan, older than dirt, I did know that it's 10 bucks.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:42 AM on June 4, 2013

I'm well familiar with the term, but until just now I was convinced it meant $20, not $10. I assume I got it confused with "double sawbuck" somewhere along the line.

(41, from northern CA, have moved all over the US, now live in new england. Don't remember where I first (mis)learned the term.)

I agree it's a good name; seems like most people at least know it refers to some not-large amount of money, and even if they don't it's kinda catchy.
posted by ook at 10:46 AM on June 4, 2013

I knew it was an amount of money that comes in bill form, but I wasn't sure which amount. Like others have mentioned, I think if you include a "What is a sawbuck?" link with the ephemera at the bottom of each page, you'd be fine. I like the idea.
posted by limeonaire at 10:46 AM on June 4, 2013

Best answer: I've heard the term but didn't really associate it with $10 specifically.

That said, I think it could definitely work as a business name. It's quirky and interesting and definitely would make me pop into the store or check out the website or whatever.

As an alternate idea, what about "Tenner" or "Ten-spot"? Both of those are much more clearly a $10 thing. "Dime" could also work, unless you think people would confuse it for ten cents.
posted by Sara C. at 10:47 AM on June 4, 2013

31 here in Colorado (mostly), I knew it.
posted by Gygesringtone at 10:53 AM on June 4, 2013

Mid-30s, New Englander, knew the term and that it referred to money, but didn't know the amount.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 11:07 AM on June 4, 2013

53, South Ontario Canadian. I know that a sawbuck is a 10-dollar bill, mainly because my older brother was obsessed with old-timey things, and once told me in a "today I learned" sort of way. (A sawbuck is a ten dollar bill, a fin is a five dollar bill, a c-note is a 100 dollar bill, and a grand is one thousand dollars. There may have been other words for other denominations, but I forget what they are.) A panhandler on the street once asked me for a fin, but I can't otherwise remember anyone using "sawbuck" or "fin" in ordinary conversation.

Apparently a physical sawbuck is a sort of saw horse that consists of two or more X-shaped braces. X is Roman numeral for 10, so the metaphorical sawbuck is a bill worth Roman numeral X dollars. Does that mean we can refer to the operating system as Mac OS Sawbuck?
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 11:10 AM on June 4, 2013

I knew it meant money, but had no idea what dollar amount it referred to. I'm mid-to-late-30s, born and raised in the Midwest, now a west coast dweller for 10+ years.
posted by erst at 11:11 AM on June 4, 2013

Late 30s, NE and Midwest US background. I knew what it meant, but from reading old novels (I think probably 30s detective stories). I've never actually heard anyone say it. Nevertheless, I think it's a terrific name!
posted by Kriesa at 11:17 AM on June 4, 2013

mid-forties, from the US Southeast, only saw the term in old books I've read, but Nthing that it's not necessarily a fatal flaw in the naming strategy.
posted by randomkeystrike at 11:29 AM on June 4, 2013

Google N-gram would seem to indicate that this the word "sawbuck" has been declining in popularity from its heights in the 1940s. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure a good way to separate out the slang usage from the carpentry term.

For what it's worth, as a mid-thirties Canadian, I knew about the term but only as a kind of quaint, archaic term from old-timey detective stories, the kind where molls would slip people mickeys and so forth.
posted by mhum at 11:39 AM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

I'm a mid-30s (western) Canadian and have never heard of this word before.
posted by Kurichina at 11:43 AM on June 4, 2013

33, southern Ontarian. I knew of the term as being vaguely related to money but not specifically $10. Has a very old-timey feel but cool name for a business.
posted by The Hyacinth Girl at 12:02 PM on June 4, 2013

I'm 31 and from Appalachia and haven't ever heard that word before. But it's a cool word!
posted by ukdanae at 12:04 PM on June 4, 2013

Early 40s, midwest US. Knew it was kind of an old-timey word for some amount of money, wasn't sure if it was $5 or $10. (I did know that a "fin" is $5, but of course that alone wouldn't rule out a sawbuck also being $5.)

And I believe it's called a sawbuck because the roman numeral for 10 (X) looks like a sawbuck.

Ah, and now I'll be able to remember it if it ever comes up on trivia night!
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:04 PM on June 4, 2013

I am familiar with the term. (47, Boston, MA) I don't generally use it, although I'll often call a $5 bill a "fin".
posted by rmd1023 at 12:18 PM on June 4, 2013

I know the term, but only from 40-some-odd years of watching East Side Kids, Abbott & Costello, and Three Stooges films.
posted by Devoidoid at 12:26 PM on June 4, 2013

Late 40's, grew up in the midwest, knew exactly what you meant by the term sawbuck.
posted by labwench at 12:26 PM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

58, grew up in Texas, Montana, and Colorado. I knew sawbuck, probably from reading American fiction.
posted by Bruce H. at 12:33 PM on June 4, 2013

49, knew the term, but thought it meant $20. My points of reference for it are entirely from 1930s-40s movies and cartoons seen on TV in the 1970s, so I doubt if anyone with little exposure to old pop culture would know it.
posted by briank at 1:05 PM on June 4, 2013

I wouldn't give 2 bits for a sawbuck (and neither should you).

50's, lived on both coasts.
posted by artdrectr at 1:19 PM on June 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Late 20s, grew up in the North East, never heard Sawbuck before this question.

Asked Mr. Kitty - early 40s, grew up in the North East, knew it referenced $10. Perhaps a generational thing?
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 1:32 PM on June 4, 2013

NorCal, I thought it was $5.
posted by rhizome at 1:40 PM on June 4, 2013

New Orleans, 32, I knew what it meant. I like it as a name as well. Go for it.
posted by CheeseLouise at 2:04 PM on June 4, 2013

Call it Ten Buck Saw Buck!
posted by michellenoel at 2:18 PM on June 4, 2013

36, grew up in California, lived in Nevada, Oregon, and now Washington; until this thread I would have told you that a "sawbuck" was undoubtedly some piece of old-fashioned logging equipment.
posted by Mars Saxman at 2:51 PM on June 4, 2013

39 year-old Canadian here. A sawbuck is a ten, of course, and a five is a fin. Unlike some here, my friends and actually used these terms.

I'm a bit wistful at the apparent lack of resonance, but languages change. We don't use the formal address in English anymore, either.

Having said that... this jargon is not THAT old, and enough people know what it means. Whatever you are selling, you need to distinguish yourself. Don't name by consensus, unless you want focus-group boring.

Words live on because people use them. So use it!
posted by rhombus at 3:18 PM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

I know what it is, but only because I looked it up a couple years ago after reading "Sawbuck Gamer" reviews.

In the last two years I don't think I've seen the word outside the context of Sawbuck gamer. And all of my mom's side of the family works in construction. Definitely an older word and dying piece of slang.

That being said, Google Exists, so I think if anyone is confused they can look up the word and learn something.
posted by midmarch snowman at 4:00 PM on June 4, 2013

Yep. My dad spoke of sawbucks, fins and deuces. He was Canadian from an early childhood in England. I think he got the words from the movies.
posted by zadcat at 4:14 PM on June 4, 2013

30, NYC-burb. I never heard of it and would have guessed "some redneck thing".
posted by Brian Puccio at 4:25 PM on June 4, 2013

30's, northeast US, thought it was a 20 but I'd get the gist and I like the old timely tone of it.
posted by tchemgrrl at 4:49 PM on June 4, 2013

I'm 30, grew up on the west coast, live in the Midwest, and this is my intro to the term. That said, if your site has a little explanation of your term I see no problem.
posted by asciident at 5:00 PM on June 4, 2013

It sounds vaguely familiar but if asked without any hints I would have drawn a blank, or possibly mixed it up with a sawhorse.

28, South/Midwest/Midatlantic, I think I have a reasonably good vocabulary.
posted by naoko at 5:46 PM on June 4, 2013

61, I first thought $20, but realized that's a "double sawbuck." Reading the other comments, all I can say is Get Off My Lawn!
posted by mr vino at 7:22 PM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

What the heck is a sawbuck?

I've lived on the east coast, south, southwest and pacific northwest. I've never heard that term before.
posted by 2oh1 at 7:46 PM on June 4, 2013

Elaine Benes put down a sawbuck bet in the 'Festivus' episode. Only time I've ever heard it.
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 9:34 PM on June 4, 2013 [2 favorites]

Australian, pretty sure Robert Heinlein (dead US sci fi writer) used it. However, when I read those works the internet didn't exist, so I never worked out what it meant, apart from some amount of money.
posted by b33j at 5:10 AM on June 5, 2013

I thought it was $20.
posted by mskyle at 7:02 AM on June 5, 2013

Almost 40, grew up in NJ.

I knew it was $10 - but it was from a tossed away joke from one of the volumes of Spider Robinson's excellent Callahan's Saloon series. One of the character's is named Mickey Finn. In one of the later novels, Mickey and his wife walk into to the bar. Jake, the narrator, immediately greets them with, "Look! A sawbuck!"
(He explains a bit later that a sawbuck is two fins. I knew, but can't remember if he explained in story that "fin" is slang for a $5 bill. $10 = 2 x $5. Yes, puns abound in this series. You have been warned.)

I would also occasionally hear my dad say "double-sawbuck" for a $20 bill, but he periodically uses odd anachronistic slang as if he fell out of a time warp from the Prohibition era.

Regardless, cool name, and if I didn't know what it meant, I would still check it out.
Good luck.
posted by RevRob330 at 9:24 AM on June 5, 2013

This 50-something midwesterner recognized the term, probably from reading old detective mysteries. Can't remember using it or hearing it used in conversation. Frankly I'm not sure I would have immediately recalled its meaning if not prompted by the OP.
posted by Snerd at 9:25 AM on June 5, 2013

36 year old, western Canada. Knew the term referred to a dollar note with a relatively low value, but if you'd pressed me, I'd have guessed the five.

I suspect there is something of a generational aspect here with the term being in highest prevalence in the 1930s-1960s, peaking around 1945. How recognizable it is will depend on your clientele; if they are older (or they have a specific interest in old-timey stuff, like you are recapping film noir or something), you have a better chance than if it's a young demographic you seek.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 10:43 AM on June 5, 2013

Not understood by me!

-a casual American
posted by jander03 at 4:13 PM on June 5, 2013

Who is your target audience for the service? The demographics will matter. Apparently younger people have missed this cultural note.

I'm 46, American born and raised (NE and SE), and knew it referred to currency, but had to think hard to recall whether it was $20 or $10. I'm a little shocked that so many Americans are replying that they don't know it at all. It seems like it would date to the 20's or so, and has a nice old fashioned ring, like "gams" (legs, people!) or sawbones (doctor) or doll (woman).
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 6:40 PM on June 5, 2013

I would get the "gams" and "doll" references, but sawbones is another one where I would have no clue. Anything beginning with "saw" I would assume to be a carpentry reference.
posted by cairdeas at 6:42 PM on June 5, 2013

Canadian, late 40s -- always understood sawbuck to mean $5.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:32 PM on June 6, 2013