Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. milit.) money, whether change or notes; often found in pl.; thus ackerage, the bill.

1918		Kia Ora Coo-ee 15 Aug. 2/2: I’m goin’ ter [...] see wevver ’vese ’ere old Crusyder coves useter be planted wiv their p’y in their tin pockits. A bloke u’d be real stiff if he didn’t get a few akkers aht of it!
1941		A. Gurney Bluey & Curley 27 Oct. [synd. cartoon] Twenty ackers we heads ’em!
1947		D. Davin For the Rest of Our Lives 30: I’ve been piling up ackers in my paybook. [Ibid.] 43: ‘Better take my share of the ackerage’ [...] Frank gave him a note.
1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 51: As soon as I’ve drawn my ackers, why don’t we all meet in the bar?
1959		J. Yates-Benyon Weak and the Wicked 119: I unstowed me akkers in a hash-house to buy a floozy a plate o’ scoff.
1965		(con. WWII) E. Lambert Long White Night 80: I gave him fifteen ackers.
1968		A. Burgess Enderby Outside in Complete Enderby (2002) 341: All right [...] you win. Take your ackers.
1977		(con. 1941) R. Beilby Gunner 297: One hundred ackers. Come on, shake the moths outa ya purse.
1980		(con. 1930s) Barltrop & Wolveridge Muvver Tongue 33: ‘Ackers’ for money came from the middle east.
1984		(con. WW2) T. Jones Heart of Oak [ebook] Still I hear again matelots in Opportune talking of sane things, like [...] the last job they had where everyone nicked the akkers out of the till when the guv’nor wasn’t watching.
2007		N. ‘Razor’ Smith Raiders 285: The gross of guns [...] were soon being sold at £500 a pop to anyone who [...] had the relevant ackers.