Minty

noun MIN-ty ˈmɪnti

Also spelled mintie, minty

The smallest coin, or the tiniest scrap of money — used mostly in the negative to stress being flat broke: 'mi nuh have a minty' means I don't have a single penny, not one red cent. It marks utter pennilessness, the very least amount of money there could be, and it belongs with old small-money words like 'quattie' and 'gill'. To be without even a minty is to be completely cleaned out, and the word lives on chiefly in these expressions of having nothing at all.

  • Mi nuh have a minty till payday.

    I don't have a penny until payday.

  • Him spen weh every last minty.

    He spent every last penny.

  • Cyaa buy nutten, mi nuh have a minty.

    Can't buy anything, I haven't got a cent.

From 'mite'/'minty' (a tiny coin/amount); used to stress having no money at all.

The tiniest coin; chiefly 'nuh have a minty' = totally broke. Compare 'bruk pocket', 'quattie', 'dege-dege'.