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[[File:ext_38dKJsdjh_Brass Razoo.jpg|thumb|right|274px|A Brass Razoo]]
'''''Brass razoo''''' is an [[Australian English|Australian]] phrase that was first recorded in [[military slang|soldiers' slang]] in [[World War I]]. It is defined in the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] as "a non-existent coin of trivial value". It is commonly used in the expression ''I haven't got a brass razoo'', meaning the speaker is out of money.

Whilst mock coins of 1 Razoo are occasionally produced, no actual monetary unit has ever been so named. Some speculate that the term arises from [[Egyptian pound|Egyptian]] or [[Indian rupee|Indian currency]]. In one fictional dialogue, the razoo has been described as "an Indian coin, famous for being the most worthless coin ever issued."

[[Etymology|Etymologists]] and [[lexicographer]]s have disputed and considered theories of the origins of the phrase, but most find no theory satisfactory.

== Origin ==
''Razoo'' may be a corruption of ''a [[solidus (coin)#France|sou]]'', the smallest French coin. ''Brass'' is a common slang term for 'money'.

Another posited origin is a phrase used by Australian soldiers serving in France, and considered a joking reference used between Australian infantry and American troops. It was based on the Yankee "raspberry" also called a "razoo", a blurt or mouth-sound made to sound like a [[flatulence|fart]].<ref name="LudowykANDC"/>

==See also==
* [[Fake denominations of United States currency#$3|Three-dollar bill]]

==Source==

[http://wikipedia.org/ http://wikipedia.org/]

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