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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Some more questions from 'The Jungle Book' | Need comma help: They walk out on deck and carry small gages
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #1 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:02 am   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Hi,

I am just curious about why 'a pretty penny' in 'cost someone a pretty penny'. Should I see the 'penny' here as just standing for 'money'? If so, should I suppose that in old days, 'a penny' was quite a large amout of money?

Thank you in advance.

Haihao
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #2 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:29 am   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Hi Haihao

Your assumption sounds reasonable to me. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the first recorded usage of the phrase 'a pretty penny' was in 1768 -- and I guess a penny did buy quite a bit more back then. Very Happy
http://etymonline.com/?term=pretty

Amy
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #3 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:38 am   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Hi Haihao,

I think the word 'penny' is simply used in your expression as a sort of representative of money - the technical words for this sort of figure of speech are: metonym or synecdoche where the part represents the whole ie 'penny' for 'money'.

Interestingly the word 'penny' crops up in several expressions, two of which suggest the small value of the penny:
Quote:
in for a penny in for a pound
- if you are going to spend a little money on a venture, you might as well spend a lot more. You'll find these articles have little value now as they are now two a penny.
A

PS Don't forget: A penny for your thoughts.
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #4 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:27 am   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Hi Amy,

Yankee wrote:
I guess a penny did buy quite a bit more back then. Very Happy

I wish I could have enough these kind of pennies. Smile

Hi Alan,

Alan wrote:
the technical words for this sort of figure of speech are: metonym or synecdoche where the part represents the whole ie 'penny' for 'money'.

This explains everything to me. Thank you very much.

Alan wrote:
Interestingly the word 'penny' crops up in several expressions, two of which suggest the small value of the penny.

Oh this is interesting! I love the opposite!

Alan wrote:
PS Don't forget: A penny for your thoughts.

This penny must be what can make a good bargain. Smile

Haihao
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #5 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 11:55 am   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Haihao wrote:
This penny must be what can make a good bargain. Smile

It depends on the thoughts you barter your penny for, don't you think?
Conchita
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #6 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:22 pm   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Oh sure it does, Conchita. But I always feel assured and make good bargain bartering the penny here.... Very Happy
Haihao
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Joined: 26 Oct 2006
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #7 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 13:41 pm   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Alan wrote:
Interestingly the word 'penny' crops up in several expressions, two of which suggest the small value of the penny.

In the idiom 'I'm going to spend a penny', our little coin isn't worth much either, I'm afraid!
Conchita
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Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny #8 (permalink) Fri Mar 09, 2007 15:35 pm   Idiom: cost someone a pretty penny		  
Conchita wrote:
Alan wrote:
Interestingly the word 'penny' crops up in several expressions, two of which suggest the small value of the penny.

In the idiom 'I'm going to spend a penny', our little coin isn't worth much either, I'm afraid!
That is an interesting euphemism, but I've only heard it used by Brits. Twenty-five cents seems to be the going price for using a pay toilet in the US nowadays, but twenty-five pennies won't get you in the door -- you generally have to have a quarter. Wink
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Some more questions from 'The Jungle Book' | Need comma help: They walk out on deck and carry small gages
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