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Penny Pretty Bad Popular Means Expressions Lot Money

Id ESLPod_0148_CN
Episode Id ESLPod 148
Episode Title Paying the Bills
Title A Pretty Penny
Text

A penny is, in American "currency" (money), the smallest possible amount (equal to 1/100 of a dollar). Since 1909, it has had the "image" (picture) of President Abraham Lincoln on it and is sometimes referred to as the "Lincoln penny."

There are many expressions using the word "penny." One of the most popular is "a pretty penny," which means a lot of money or expensive. You might say: "That car cost him a pretty penny!" The origin of the term is very old: In the year 1257, the English government "issued" (began to use) a gold coin that never became very popular. People didn't like using it, and so the government stopped making them. After that, it was quite rare to see this "attractive" (pretty) gold coin, so the coin became associated with something very valuable, something worth a lot of money. Somehow this got changed into a "penny" and became popular in the U.S. Today, a penny is actually worth very little, so it's a little strange that "a pretty penny" actually has the opposite meaning - something quite expensive!

There are actually several expressions related to the penny, including:

"A penny for your thoughts": This expression is used to ask someone to tell you what they are thinking, especially if the person doesn't seem to want to talk. The expression is used typically as a complete sentence. We don't say: "I'll give you a penny for your thoughts," but rather simply "A penny for your thoughts."

"Penny pincher": This is someone who is considered cheap or who never spends his or her money. "To pinch" here means to save, so a penny pincher is someone who saves even very small coins, like pennies.

"To turn up like a bad penny": This one is a little "old-fashioned" (not popular today), but you may still see it. "To turn up" means to arrive or appear unexpectedly. A bad penny refers here to a bad or undesirable person who keeps returning even when they are not wanted, someone who we might describe as "pushy" (too aggressive in trying to get what he or she wants): "I told my cousin that I didn't want to see him again, but last night he turned up like a bad penny."

Topics Money

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