Baht= "tic" ?

[Trebilcock]

In Jack Reynolds' "A Woman of Bangkok" the currency is repeteadly referred to as the Tic, ie "Give me a thousand Tics" or "it cost me 20 tics" Been to Thailand nearly 30 times, read dozens of books relating to it, and I can't ever recall hearing that before. Most puzzlingly of all, neither can my Thai better half. Presumably just a slang term, like Quid for Pound Sterling, Buck for US Dollar, etc?

[grtaylor]

In Jack Reynolds' "A Woman of Bangkok" the currency is repeteadly referred to as the Tic, ie "Give me a thousand Tics" or "it cost me 20 tics" Been to Thailand nearly 30 times, read dozens of books relating to it, and I can't ever recall hearing that before. Most puzzlingly of all, neither can my Thai better half. Presumably just a slang term, like Quid for Pound Sterling, Buck for US Dollar, etc?

Short for Tical - the name for the currency until the 1920s. I have seen it still used on the invoices of certain older Thai companies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_baht

[Boater]

interesting, in 4 years i have never heard this either.....

but still know the english phrase like a monkey

[zzdocxx]

In Jack Reynolds' "A Woman of Bangkok" the currency is repeteadly referred to as the Tic, ie "Give me a thousand Tics" or "it cost me 20 tics" Been to Thailand nearly 30 times, read dozens of books relating to it, and I can't ever recall hearing that before. Most puzzlingly of all, neither can my Thai better half. Presumably just a slang term, like Quid for Pound Sterling, Buck for US Dollar, etc?

How's the book? I ordered an old copy under the title "A Sort of Beauty" quite some time ago but it is still up on my shelf, unread.

[Trebilcock]

Funnily enough, I too bought the book a long time before I got around to reading it. Enjoying it now though. One of the more thoughtful looks at the old falang/working girl thing. IMHO too many books on the topic only look at the falang's viewpoint and invariably revolve around wild parties with self-styled "crazy" ex-pats, getting smashed on booze and drugs, hectic trips to Pattaya, etc. This is a much more considered affair, set in an age before Go-Go bars and sex-tourism as we now know it. Think it was written in the early 50's, and whilst not "smutty" in any way is perhaps quite frank for that time. I think you'd enjoy it.