break v.4
to give change for a note or large-denomination coin.
Mysteries and Miseries 339: ‘Fact; the nut broke the bill at Newark; I saw him; he ain’t drunk, and so can’t be bust yet’. | [Arthur Pember]||
Amateur Cracksman (1992) 115: I remember that I broke my last sovereign to get a box of Sullivan’s cigarettes for Raffles. | ||
I Can Get It For You Wholesale 151: I broke a five-dollar bill into quarters. | ||
Fabulous Clipjoint (1949) 52: He broke a five. | ||
(con. 1964–8) Cold Six Thousand 90: Pete broke three C-notes. |