nevis, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

nevis n.

also neves

[backsl.]

1. the number seven.

1935

Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 7: Neves: Seven o’clock.

2. seven (pre-decimal) pence.

1950

Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 4 Sept. 5: The costers have their own money-slang [...] 7d a ‘neves’.

3. (UK prison) a seven-year sentence.

1958		F. Norman Bang To Rights 22: I’m doing a bleeding neves.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
2011		Spitalfields Life 18 Nov. 🌐 ‘Ben neves’ is ‘seven’ backwards.

4. £7.

1959		F. Norman in Encounter n.d. in Norman’s London (1969) 61: seven pounds – Neves.
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 196: nevis £7.

nevis gens (n.) [gen n.¹]

7 shillings (35p).

nevis stretch (n.) [stretch n. (2b)]

a seven-year sentence.

nevis yeneps (n.) (also neves-yenep) [yennep n.]

seven pence.

1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 23/1: Neves-yenep .... Sevenpence.
1867		Berks. Chron. 7 Dec. 7/1: The language of Costers. We’ve a slang, sir, and it is only know to ourselves. It puzzles the Irish and bothers the Jews [...] We say yenep for penny, erth-yenep for three pece, neves yenep, for seven-pence.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1935		R.T. Hopkins Life and Death at the Old Bailey 65: Costermongers invariably use the following terms in discussing money transactions [...] Neves-yenep – Sevenpence.