Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) one year’s imprisonment; usu. with a preceding number as -spot sfx (1)

1834		Sun (N.Y.) 20 June 2/2: Off.—Don’t you remember me in ‘quay’ up there? Con.—Oh, were you there? I don’t recollect you—how long were you there? Off.—Six ‘spots.’ Con.—Was you indeed! I was there seven!
1910		Spokane Press (WA) 22 Sept. 7/3: If a thief servs five years in the poentientiary, he tells you he ‘drew a five spot’.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 179: SPOT.–A term in prison, more definitely as ‘a one spot,’ one year, etc.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 220: spot A sentence of one year in jail.
1982		G. Newbold Big Huey 254: spot (n) [...] 2. One year’s imprisonment.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 174/1: spot n. (also one spot)>2 a year in prison, e.g. ‘three spot’ = three years’ imprisonment.
2020		D. Winslow ‘Broken’ in Broken 32: Got out from a five-spot in Angola [prison].

2. a dollar or pound sterling, usu. with a number sfx but not a specific denomination of a note, which is -spot sfx (2)

1905		‘On the Road to Gundagai’ in ‘Banjo’ Paterson Old Bush Songs 24: With a three-spot cheque between us, as wanted knocking down.
1917		R. Lardner ‘Carmen’ in Gullible’s Travels 35: As long as he’s goin’ to welsh on us I hope he lavishes the eight-spot where it’ll do him some good.
1943		J.W. Work III transcription of song ‘Stagolee’ in Work Ms in Gordon & Nemerov Lost Delta Found (2005) 120: Stagolee asked his woman / ‘Say what have you got?’ / She run her hand in her stocking leg / And pulled out a thousand spot.
2000		T. Blacker Kill Your Darlings 229: A three spot for petrol. Didn’t that seem just a bit on the large side?
2022		J. Hannaham Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit 85: Frona rescued a crunchy C-spot from her apron Where the hell she get all this goddamn money?

3. (Aus./N.Z.) a ten-pound note.

1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 239/2: spot – a ten-pound note.
1991		B. Stewart Broken Arse II i: Look, here’s two spots.

4. (US black) a ten-dollar note.

1961

R. Gover One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding 25: He go an give me a spot.

5. (Aus./N.Z.) £100; latterly A$100 or NZ$100.

1950		S.J. Baker in Sun. Herald (Sydney) 8 June 9/3: The underworld has an extensive vocabulary of financial terms. Among those recorded by Detective Doyle are: [...] ‘spot’ or ‘century,’ £100; ‘monkey,’ £500; ‘grand,’ £1,000.
1952		Argus (Melbourne) 13 June 4s/3: 4 ponies = 1 spot.
1954		Sun. Mail (Adelaide) 25 Sept. 45/5: He gave me a spot — £100 — and told me crime doesn’t pay.
1967		‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xxxix 4/5: spot: One hundred dollars or pounds.
1982		G. Newbold Big Huey 144: He counted the money . .. $481 in total. A convicted heroin dealer and I’m sprung with nearly five spot in cash and a hypodermic syringe. Bloody lovely.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 45: Spot One hundred dollars.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 106/2: spot $100 bill, formerly £100 bill, popular among poker players; linked with ‘spot’, to gamble.
1996		Ozwords Oct. 🌐 A spot is $100 (formerly £100).
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 174/1: spot n. (also one spot) $100 .
2013		T. Peacock More You Bet 67: The ‘$50 note’ is sometimes referred to as [...] ‘half-a-Bradman’ (after the great century-making batsman); while ‘$100’ is a ‘spot’ (as was 100 pound).