penny : Idioms & Phrases

Index

Arles penny

  • earnest money given to servants. Kersey.
Webster 1913

bright as a new penny

  • adjective satellite (metaphor) shining brightly
WordNet

Drink money, ∨ Drink penny

  • an allowance, or perquisite, given to buy drink; a gratuity.
Webster 1913

earles penny

Earles" pen`ny
Etymology
Cf. Arles, 4th Earnest.
Definitions
  1. Earnest money. Same as Arles penny. Obs.
Webster 1913

get-penny

Get"-pen`ny noun
Definitions
  1. Something which gets or gains money; a successful affair. Colloq. Chapman.
Webster 1913

God's penny

  • earnest penny. Obs. Beau. & Fl.
Webster 1913

Gripe penny, a

  • miser; a niggard .
Webster 1913

Head pence

  • a poll tax. Obs.
Webster 1913

Hearth money, Hearth penny

  • AS. heor&edh;pening, a tax formerly laid in England on hearths, each hearth (in all houses paying the church and poor rates) being taxed at two shillings; called also chimney money, etc.
Webster 1913

Luck penny

  • a small sum given back for luck to one who pays money. Prov. Eng.
Webster 1913

new penny

  • noun a coin used in Great Britain since 1971 worth one hundredth of a pound
WordNet

penny ante

  • noun a business deal on a trivial scale
  • noun poker played for small stakes
    penny ante.
WordNet

penny ante poker

  • noun poker played for small stakes
    penny ante.
WordNet

penny arcade

  • noun an arcade with coin-operated devices for entertainment
WordNet

penny bank

  • noun a child's coin bank (often shaped like a pig)
    piggy bank.
WordNet

Penny cress

  • (Bot.), an annual herb of the Mustard family, having round, flat pods like silver pennies (Thlaspi arvense). Dr. Prior.
Webster 1913

Penny dog

  • (Zoöl.), a kind of shark found on the South coast of Britain: the tope.
Webster 1913

penny dreadful

  • noun a melodramatic paperback novel
    dime novel.
WordNet

Penny father

  • a penurious person; a niggard. Obs. Robinson (More's Utopia).
Webster 1913

Penny grass

  • noun foetid Eurasian weed having round flat pods; naturalized throughout North America
    stinkweed; French weed; mithridate mustard; field pennycress; fanweed; Thlaspi arvense.
WordNet
  • (Bot.), pennyroyal. R.
Webster 1913

penny pincher

  • noun someone who is excessively careful with money (who pinches every penny before letting go of it)
WordNet

Penny post

  • a post carrying a letter for a penny; also, a mail carrier.
Webster 1913

penny stock

  • noun a stock selling for less that $1/share
WordNet

Penny wise

  • wise or prudent only in small matters; saving small sums while losing larger; used chiefly in the phrase, penny wise and pound foolish.
Webster 1913

penny-a-liner

Pen"ny-a-lin"er noun
Definitions
  1. One who furnishes matter to public journals at so much a line; a poor writer for hire; a hack writer. Thackeray.
Webster 1913

penny-pinch

  • verb spend money frugally; spend as little as possible
    nickel-and-dime; penny-pinch.
WordNet

penny-pinching

  • noun extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily
    parsimony; parsimoniousness; thrift.
  • verb spend money frugally; spend as little as possible
    nickel-and-dime; penny-pinch.
  • adjective satellite giving or spending with reluctance
    close; near; skinny; cheeseparing.
    • our cheeseparing administration
    • very close (or near) with his money
    • a penny-pinching miserly old man
WordNet

penny-wise

  • adjective satellite thrifty in small matters only
WordNet

Peter pence, ∨ Peter's pence

  • . (a) An annual tax or tribute, formerly paid by the English people to the pope, being a penny for every house, payable on Lammas or St.Peter's day; called also Rome scot, and hearth money. (b) In modern times, a voluntary contribution made by Roman Catholics to the private purse of the pope.
Webster 1913

peter's pence

  • noun an annual contribution made by Roman Catholics to support the papal see
    hearth money.
WordNet

rome penny

Rome" pen`ny, Rome" scot` (Also<
  • Rome penny
  • Rome scot
)
Definitions
  1. See Peter pence, under Peter.
Webster 1913

spend a penny

  • verb eliminate urine
    wee-wee; wee; piddle; micturate; pee-pee; make; pass water; make water; relieve oneself; take a leak; pee; urinate; puddle; piss.
    • Again, the cat had made on the expensive rug
WordNet

third-penny

Third"-pen`ny noun
Definitions
  1. (A.S. Law) A third part of the profits of fines and penalties imposed at the country court, which was among the perquisites enjoyed by the earl.
Webster 1913

Tin penny

  • a customary duty in England, formerly paid to tithingmen for liberty to dig in tin mines. Obs. Bailey.
Webster 1913

To turn a penny, ∨ To turn an honest penny

  • to make a small profit by trade, or the like.
Webster 1913

true-penny

True"-pen`ny noun
Definitions
  1. An honest fellow. Shak. Bacon.
Webster 1913

turn a nice penny

  • verb make a satisfactory profit
    turn a nice dime; turn a nice dollar.
    • The company turned a nice dime after a short time
WordNet

two-a-penny

  • adjective satellite of trifling worth
    twopenny-halfpenny; twopenny; tuppeny; threepenny; sixpenny.
WordNet

Ward penny

  • (O. Eng. Law), money paid to the sheriff or castellan for watching and warding a castle.
Webster 1913

Warping penny

  • money, varying according to the length of the thread, paid to the weaver by the spinner on laying the warp. Prov. Eng. Wright.
Webster 1913