0

I know one side is called 'flower'. But I don't know the other side's name. And any other common ways of calling them.

Are 'head' and 'tail' right?

5
  • 6
    Do you mean coin? If you know head and tail, where did you get flower? I can't make heads or tails of this question. Jul 30, 2012 at 2:04
  • yes, I'm sorry for my mistakes. English is not my nature language. And a foreign teacher taught the flower or flowers. But I didn't know the other side
    – Samuel
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:11
  • No, I'm sorry for my mistakes.I mean coin
    – Samuel
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:14
  • 'head' and 'tail' are right. That's all there is. Or rather 'heads' and 'tails'...why the plural is a whole nother question.
    – Mitch
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:21
  • 2
    "Traditionally, the side of a coin carrying a bust of a monarch or other authority, or a national emblem, is called the obverse, or colloquially, heads [...]. The other side is called the reverse, or colloquially, tails." — Wikipedia. You also probably have a bilingual dictionary you can look it up in. Closing as gen-ref.
    – RegDwigнt
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:35

1 Answer 1

7

The two sides are the obverse and the reverse:

Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags (see Flag terminology), seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse means the back face. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads, because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse tails.

In fields of scholarship outside numismatics, the term front is more commonly used than obverse, while usage of reverse is widespread.

4
  • English is not my nature language. And a foreign teacher taught the flower or flowers. But I didn't know the other side . Is that right call flowers in native English countries ?
    – Samuel
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:27
  • @Samuel No, flowers has no meaning in English that is related to coins. (that I am aware of)
    – tchrist
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:34
  • 1
    @Samuel, No I've never heard of "flower(s)" to refer to the face of a coin. 'Heads and tails' is of course most common in everyday speech.
    – Jim
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:34
  • thanks. I see. Maybe It just can work in my country. Because there are many flowers on the one side of ours coin
    – Samuel
    Jul 30, 2012 at 2:48

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.