shinplaster

shin·plas·ter  (shnplstr)

n.

1. A piece of paper money issued privately and devalued by inadequate security or by inflation.

2. A piece of paper money of small denomination issued by the government, especially one issued by the U.S. government from 1862 to 1878.

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[From its resemblance to paper used in plasters for sore legs.]

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shinplaster [ˈʃɪnˌplɑːstə]

n

(Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance) US, Canadian, and Austral a promissory note on brittle paper, issued by an individual

[so called because of its resemblance to a sticking plaster]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

shinplaster - paper money of little value issued on insufficient security money - the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender; "we tried to collect the money he owed us"