I was reading Without Feathers by Woody Allen and came across this sentence: "I keep wondering if there is an afterlife, and if there is will they be able to break a twenty?"
The phrase is usually understood as "have change for a twenty dollar bill", but in this case I think it's kinda bizarre to apply this meaning.
Could you please explain to me what it means in this sentence?
Thanks!
Best Answer
Break a twenty means make change for a twenty dollar bill.
A slightly irreverent and somewhat mischievous way of asking if practical things such as cash and by implication, other mundane aspects of daily life, will have any relevance? In other words, in a phrase, he is hinting at the bigger question, how different can things be "on the other side"?