Green’s Dictionary of Slang

gold, money.

1580		Lyly Euphues and his England (1916) 212: Such a world it is that gods can do nothing without gold [...] nor philosophers anything without gilt.
1599		Shakespeare Henry V Act II: Three corrupted men [...] Have, for the gilt of France, – O guilt, indeed! – Confirmed conspiracy with fearful France.
1703		Hell Upon Earth 2: He’s adorn’d with a pair of Leg Boots, and from thence conducted (provided he has Gilt) over the way to Hell.
1717		J. Hall Memoirs of the Right Villainous Jack Hall in Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men (1719) vii: As soon as he is adorned with a pair of iron boots, he is thence conducted (provided he has gilt).
c.1720		‘The Original black Joke. Sent from Dublin’ 🎵 He came with his gilt ready in his hand.
1829		D. Jerrold Black-eyed Susan in Boyle Eng. & Amer. Dramatists (1886) 212: I found Susan [...] with all her gilt taken by the land-sharks.
1837		Suffolk Chron. 2 Sept. 1/6: [He] asked complainant whgere she lived, which she informed him. He then said to a companion [...] ‘Is there any gilt I wonder?’.
1841		Era (London) 5 Dec. 11/3: Betting was brisk [...] Parker, who had also been his trainer, put all his ‘gilt’ upon him.
1857		advert in ‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue (1857) 45: He can turn out Toggery of every description very slap up, at the following low prices for ready gilt – tick being no go.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 18/1: She was too late, and Jem had ‘sprung’ the ‘plant’ and ‘namased’ with the ‘gilt’.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. 10/1: My tom-tart buzzed a squatter for his skin while he was in doss. She speeled from the crib and he was turned out. I think she hocussed his lush. Last night she was flashing the gilt in S—’s drum. My girl robbed a squatter of his purse while he was asleep. She left the house and he was turned out. I think she drugged his liquor. Last night she was showing off with her money in S—’s drinking-house and rendezvous.
1899		Ade Fables in Sl. (1902) 174: He’d often wished to close in on enough of the Gilt to buy him a nice piece of Land somewhere.
1908		Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Aug. 26/3: He was a man of means, with stacks / Of oof and splosh and gilt.
1916		C.J. Dennis ‘The Call of Stoush’ Moods of Ginger Mick 31: As traders ’ave to ’eed the clink uv gilt.
1924		C.J. Dennis ‘Nocturne’ Rose of Spadgers 51: If you are flush in Spadgers, ’tain’t good form [...] To flash yer gilt an’ go the pace too warm.
1934		Central Qld Herald (Rockhampton) 6 Sept. 12/2: Think of all the slang terms for money: rhino [...] gilt, ooftish, and so on.
1945		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 17 Mar. A16: A good many of them had no guilders (New Giunea gilt).
1958		F. Norman Bang To Rights 79: There was one screw that had a big American car that he bought from gilt that he made flogging snout to the barons.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 85: When the establishment Mafioso realise how much gilt, paper, cashish, wonga, wedge, corn, cutter, loot, spondos, dollar, readies, shillings, folding, dough, money is on offer.