Where "Motza" Comes From
It's been part of Australian slang for decades, also spelled "motser," though its exact origin is genuinely uncertain.
Dictionaries note the word's roots aren't well documented, separate from the unrelated food word "matzo" it happens to look like.
“If we sell the old block, we'll make a motza.”
“He reckons he'll come into a motza when the business sells.”
He won a motza on the Melbourne Cup and shouted the whole pub.
How Aussies Actually Use It
Almost always used for winning or gaining a large sum, especially through gambling or a windfall.
Motza is a happy word. It's what you hope to win at the races, on a scratchie or from a lucky bet, and the way people say it usually shows it: 'he's won a motza' is the story that gets retold at the pub. It suggests a sum that's surprising and large, rather than a precise figure, so you rarely pair it with an actual number.
People also use it for money made in other ways, like a big sale or a good year for a business, and sometimes with a bit of envy: 'She made a motza on that house.' It's informal but not rude, so it fits in most casual conversations. Compared with 'dosh' or 'moolah', which just mean money, motza always means a lot of it. Learner tip: use it with verbs like win, make, land or spend.
See also: Dosh (money in general), Moolah (another casual word for money), Brass Razoo (the opposite, having no money).
A cheerful, celebratory word — you "win" or "land" a motza, you don't lose one.
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