![]() And it's better than a penny for your thoughts. a penny for your thoughts - Examples: 1) Right now I use Bitcoin to dream. Wherewith in a great musing he was brought,įriend (quoth the good man) a penny for your thought.Ī Dialogue Containing the Number in Effect of all the Proverbs in the English Tongue, by John Heywood, 1546. formal<- X ->informal Usage Frequency Index: 37 a penny for your thoughts - Gerund Form: There is no gerund form for a penny for your thoughts.What's the origin of the phrase 'A penny for your thoughts' Along with Biblical expressions, proverbs form the bulk of the very earliest phrases that have existed in English since the language was first recorded on paper. A little later, it appears in a famous collection: An invitation to a person lost in thought to share his or her preoccupation. He wrote around 1535 that it was used with a note of reproach about a vagrant mind. We know it from the works of Sir Thomas More, lord chancellor, humanist, and martyr, which were published posthumously in 1557. Alas, the idiom hasn’t kept pace with inflation. It was then a silver coin and experts estimate on the basis of average earnings that it was worth in the region of 1600 modern pence (if the value is estimated on the basis of purchasing power, the figure drops to between 65 and 120 pence). Some people wonder if it might be insulting, since a penny is such a small amount of money, and might produce the sharp response “Is that all you think my thoughts are worth?” That certainly wasn’t the idea behind it, since a penny was worth rather a lot when the phrase was first written down about 1535. “They’re not worth a penny,” said George, going red.įive On A Treasure Island, by Enid Blyton, 1942. Examples A penny for your thoughts You seem to be deep in thought. Julian looked up and caught her blue eyes fixed on him. What are you thinking about I would give you a penny if you tell me your thoughts. Definition It is an expression used to ask someone what they are thinking about. Or, considering the value of a penny, maybe it’s an insult. It might be classed as a proverb or as a cliche. This was a long thought to think, and George looked very serious while she was thinking it. There is some debate whether ‘a penny for your thoughts’ is an idiom at all. It is used to ask what they’re thinking about, but as often a gentle way to point out that they’re preoccupied. ![]() But, so far, I’ve failed to find out the origin of the phrase.Ī It’s an odd little idiom, a colloquial way to speak to somebody who’s lost in thought or daydreaming. Typically used in the proverb 'A bad penny always turns up.' A: 'I dont think well see Todd again now that hes been disgraced at work.' B: 'You never knowa bad penny always turns up. Q From Brendan Hale: A colleague here in Taiwan has just asked, “What does a penny for your thoughts mean?” I would generally use it to ask someone to tell me what they’re thinking, and my online search tells me that’s the common use. Watch on Like this video Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day a bad penny A person with no value.
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