Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also dee) one pre-decimal penny [£.s.d.].

1867		‘Artemus Ward’ Artemus Ward in London in Complete Works (1922) 436: He heaved a deep sigh as I gave him two shillings. ‘I’ll give you six d.’s more,’ I said, ‘if it hurts you so.’.
1879		London Life 19 July 5/2: [P]aying his two D for a glass of beer.
1880		E.J. Milliken ‘Cad’s Calendar’ in Punch Almanack n.p.: Two d left ! – must go and do a beer!
1888		J. Runciman Chequers 52: Ain’t got no more than two bloomin’ dee.
1893		P.H. Emerson Signor Lippo 95: I started as a K.B., paying two d. and a half for a birch broom.
1895		Harrington & LeBrunn [perf. Marie Lloyd] He knows a Good Thing When He Sees It 🎵 Was as kind as could be / And she gave him a D.
1900		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Where To Ask’ Sporting Times 19 May 1/4: With such personal charm, you can’t wonder that she / Found a lot of blokes willing to blew their last ‘d’ / Standing treat.
1906		N.Z. Truth 4 Aug. 5/5: I ain’t got a ‘d’— / And ‘s’ I hardly see, / I’m very poor.
1910		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘A Fault Finder’ Sporting Times 15 Jan. 1/3: If all the big moneyed men were to agree / To award him in generous manner, / Say a million pounds, seventeen bob, and six ‘d,’ / He’d be sure to find fault with the tanner!
1934		S. Beckett More Pricks than Kicks 57: ‘How much is that?’ ‘Four dee,’ she said.
1937		Nott. Eve. Post 30 Apr. 6/3: It [i.e. 1d] is a ‘D’ (from the pence column in a cash-book).
1940		M. Marples Public School Slang 120: MONEY: [...] 1d: dee, brown.
1958		Willans & Searle Complete Molesworth (1985) 35: He is a sissy, and not worth a d. [Ibid.] 127: If you have the necessary d’s.
1965		L. Dunne Goodbye to the Hill (1966) 27: I only have nine dee.
1966		Eve. Press 21 Nov. n.p.: A hard ticket [...] can take fivepence from a nun with the comment ‘Five dee is dead right – there y’are – God bless you, me oul’ flower.’ [BS].

2. (US) a dollar.

1911		S. Ford Torchy 34: When he drew his envelope on Saturdays it must have set the Corrugated Trust back for as much as twelve D.
1991		Eble Campus Sl. Mar.