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This is taken from a book called "A Brief History of the Future: The origins of the internet", page 10, by John Naughton

Later, driving home in the dark, I asked, "Da, is Mr Clarke very rich?" He replied laconically "Well, he doesn't want for a bob or two anyway," and I finally understood why my father had never obtained his license.

What does he doesn't want for a bob or two anyway mean?

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  • ..this should be easy to figure out by discovering what all the words could mean. – J. Taylor Jun 6 '18 at 7:29
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    "Bob" was a colloquial term for the British pre-decimal coin the shilling. The father meant "He's not short of cash." – Kate Bunting Jun 6 '18 at 7:50
  • @Kate Bunting, thank you. If you want to post it as an answer, I'll mark it as such. Also, why is the grammar so strange? I was thrown off by the want for part – Teedeez Jun 6 '18 at 8:55
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"Bob" was a colloquial term for the British pre-decimal coin the shilling. The father meant "He's not short of cash." ("Want" is used in its old sense of "lack"; it doesn't mean "wish for".)

want verb 3 (literary, no object) Lack something desirable or essential. ‘you shall want for nothing while you are with me’ - ODO

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