pennyworthn.

Brit.

/ˈpɛnəθ/,

/ˈpɛnᵻwəθ/,

/ˈpɛnᵻwəːθ/, U.S.

/ˈpɛniˌwərθ/

Forms:

α. see penny n. and worth n.¹; also 1500s–1800s penniworth, 1700s penny-wo'th (Scottish), 1900s– pennie-wirt (Scottish).

β. late Middle English penworþ, 1500s penerth, 1500s–1600s penworth, 1600s penneard, 1600s pennerth, 1600s penn'worth, 1600s–1700s pen'worth, 1600s–1800s pen'orth, 1600s– pennorth, 1600s– penn'orth Brit. /ˈpɛnəθ/, U.S. /ˈpɛnərθ/; English regional 1700s–1800s penneth, 1800s pennard (south-western), 1800s pennath, 1800s pen'ord (south-western), 1800s punnah (Suffolk), 1800s punnath (Suffolk), 1800s punor (Suffolk), 1800s– pennerd (south-western), 1800s– pennord (south-western), 1800s– pennuth, 1800s– punner (East Anglian), 1800s– punnor (East Anglian); also Scottish pre-1700 pennort, pre-1700 pennortht, pre-1700 penvorcht, pre-1700 1700s pennert.

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: penny n., worth n.¹

Etymology: < penny n. + worth n.¹

a. As much as can be bought or sold for a penny. Frequently with partitive of or (in Old English) genitive.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > monetary value > [noun] > amount of specific value > specific

pennyworthOE

halfpennywortha1035

shillingswortha1325

three-halfpennyworthc1440

sixpennyworthc1450

pounds worthc1460

groatsworth1562

penny1564

penny piece1601

threepennyworth1617

piceworth1832

two pennyworth1851

six1871

pounder1895

α.

OE Lacnunga (2001) I. lxxx. 70 An penigweorð swefles.

OE Orky's Grant to Abbotsbury Guild in B. Thorpe Diplomatarium Anglicum Ævi Saxonici (1865) 605 An peningcwurð weaxes.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 37 (MED) Hi habbeþ þri paneworþes of worke uor ane peny.

a1425 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1960) A. iii. 237 (MED) Penyworth [c1400 Trin. Cambr. In marchaundie is no mede, I may it wel auowe; It is a permutacioun apertly, a peny for anoþer].

1449 in W. Fraser Melvilles & Leslies (1890) III. 33 His eme sal recompence..his saide scathis, ilka peny or peny wortht.

?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 94 A Penny worrth, denariatum.

1559 Seconde Volume of Fabians Chronicle in Chronicle of Fabian (new ed.) sig. ZZ.v The Maior wente to the woode warfes, and solde to the poore people billet and faggot, by the peniworthe.

1573 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1889) IV. 153 xviij. peyneworthe of appyles.

a1614 J. Melville Autobiogr. & Diary (1842) 21 A pennie-worthe of aples.

1615 J. Stephens Ess. & Characters (new ed.) 350 Hee contents himselfe with a parcel of twopeniworth [of cheese] at the Chandelors.

1758 S. Johnson Idler 16 Dec. 289 She..will never buy any thing by single pennyworths.

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xii. 116 He brought my little ones a pennyworth of gingerbread each.

1851 D. Jerrold St. Giles & St. James (new ed.) vii, in Writings I. 69 Ordering..two pennyworth of ale, and bread and cheese.

1899 E. Nesbit Story of Treasure Seekers xii. 204 Oswald got a pennyworth of alum, because it is so cheap.

1959 Home Encycl. 232 Mix together a pennyworth of pearl-ash, soft soap and Fuller's earth.

1989 Scots Mag. Mar. 674 A pennyworth of milk and tuppenceworth of cream.

β. c1425 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Liverpool Univ.) (1960) A. v. 175 Penworþes [c1400 Trin. Cambr. Þo risen vp..And preisiden þe peneworthis apertly be hemseluen].1565 in W. Mackay & H. C. Boyd Rec. Inverness (1911) I. 127 vj pennort weddeis and half dussan caberis.1617 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/5) For thre penneard of wax candelles iijd.1668 J. Dryden Sr Martin Mar-all ii. 22 You have so little Brains, that a Penn'orth of Butter melted under 'um would set 'um afloat.1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxxviii. 343 She had colloquies with the green-grocer about the pennorth of turnips.c1863 T. Taylor in M. R. Booth Eng. Plays of 19th Cent. (1969) II. 83 Four penn'orth of brandy, if you please.1905 G. B. Shaw Let. 15 Nov. (1972) II. 577 I said I would have a pennorth, that being the utmost of my means.1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. i. ii. 17 We di'n't very often get a penny to spend, but if we did we could spend it on a penn'orth of treacle toffee made and sold..by the school master's wife.

†b. Chiefly Scottish. pennyworth of land: = pennyland n. 1. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > real or immovable property > land > land worth specific amount per annum

pennylanda1300

pennyland1439

soudeec1450

pennyworth of land1499

penny1504

uris-land1534

uris-cop1609

librate1610

obolate1610

solidate1610

ure of land1774

ounceland1805

1499 Charter Edinb. Reg. House No. 625 The fourty pennyworth of my landis..lyand in to my barronry of Ekklis.

1536 in D. H. Fleming Registrum Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum (1921) II. 306/1 The gift of the nonentres, [etc.]..of the thre scoir of pennyworth of the landis of Knodart.

?1599 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 215 One pennyeworthe of land lyinge at Norwood Edge.

2. figurative. An amount, a sum, a contribution; esp. a very small amount or contribution. Usually in negative contexts. Frequently with partitive of-complement (formerly also without of). Now also: spec. (without complement) a person's contribution to a discussion.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > a very small amount

shredc1000

farthingsworthc1325

pennyworthc1330

incha1350

sliverc1374

chipa1393

gnastc1440

Jack1530

spoonful1531

crumba1535

spark1548

slight1549

pin's worth1562

scruple1574

thought1581

pinch1583

scrap1583

splinter1609

ticket1634

notchet1637

indivisible1644

tinyc1650

twopence1691

turn of the scale(s)1706

enough to swear by1756

touch1786

scrimptiona1825

infinitesimal1840

smidgen1841

snuff1842

fluxion1846

smitchel1856

eyelash1860

smidge1866

tenpenceworth1896

whisker1913

tidge1986

c1330 Pennyworth of Wit (Auch.) 47 in Englische Studien (1884) 7 113/2 (MED) Haue a fair pani here..Bi þer wiþ a peniworþ witt, & in þine hert fast it knitt.

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. viii. 49 Of þe pore peple no peneworþ to take.

a1450 (?1418) in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 62 (MED) Sette mendis for trespas in euene balaunce; For a penyworth of harm, tak not two.

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 145 All yat j may..j suld tak fra him, and neuer geve him a penyworth tharof.

1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. cvi^v I wil noght turn myn entent..Or I pair of pris ane penny worth in this place.

1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. B^v [She] had requited euery penni-woorth of duetie with many a pounde of fauour.

1616 Sir R. Dudley in S. R. Gardiner Fortescue Papers (1871) 16 I have never accepted from any Prince or Prelate one peniworth of Entertaynement.

1664 S. Butler Hudibras: Second Pt. ii. iii. 135 This was the Pen'worth of his thought, To pass time, and uneasie trot.

1735 S.-Carolina Gaz. 13 Sept. 2/2 'Tis said they were for the Spanish Coast to enrich themselves, but happened to be nab'd before they had taken a Penny worth of Spoil.

1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker I. 84 It [sc. a dose of medicine] worked Mrs. Gwyllim a pennorth.

1879 Scribner's Monthly Dec. 251/2 Your true man of business..is never so generous with his pennyworths of thought as when newly in possession of some little secret worth many pounds.

1894 W. Black Highland Cousins I. 18 There will not be a pennyworth of grudging in her welcome.

1925 Cent. Mag. Jan. 30/1 Would it have made two pennorth of difference?

1934 L. Charteris Boodle iii. 72 The helicopter racket had been failing in its dividends, and the past year had not shown a single pennyworth of profit.

1966 A. MacLean When Eight Bells Toll iii. 53 It would have looked damned odd if I hadn't turned up to add my pennyworth to the chorus of bitter complaint.

1992 Daily Mail 17 Aug. 28/1 A succession of extremely pompous commentators, historians, royal watchers, a pollster, and one individual described as a ‘social critic’, lined up to add their pennyworth to the debate.

a. An item of merchandise considered in terms of its value for money; a (good, etc.) bargain. Hence: money's worth, value for money, return for one's payment or trouble; †profit, advantage obtained (obsolete). Frequently with modifying adjective, as good, bad, dear, great, fair. Also (without adjective): something obtained cheaply, a good bargain. Now chiefly regional.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > [noun] > sufficient return for payment or trouble

pennyworth1340

value for money1832

bang for the buck1953

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 23 (MED) Ydeleblisse..is þe dyeules peni, huermide he bayþ alle þe uayre pane-worþes ine the markatte of þise wordle.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 90 (MED) Charite is a guod chapfare þet oueral wynþ and none time ne lyest; alle þe guode paneworþes hy bayþ.

c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 268 Sir Roger the Mortymer..bisette his penyworthe [v.r. penyworthes; Fr. enploie ses darez] wiþ þe officers of þe Quenes househalde in þe same maner as þe Kyngus officeres deden.

c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 150 Riht ofte she sheweth goode penywoorthes.

c1465 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 68 (MED) God knoweth full evell penyworthes thei had and sharp.

1547 Extracted Processes, Court of Session (Edinb. Reg. House) No. vi And he purposet to heif blokit with him & he cuth heif gottin ane penny wortht of it.

1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. iv. 31 You take your penniworths [1623 peniworths] now, Sleepe for a weeke.

1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iv. xv. 194 To sell his life at such a rate that the buyer should little boast of his peny-worth.

1660 R. Allestree Gentlemans Calling v. 74 If a Witness prove a better penniworth then the Judge, Subornation shall do the business.

1665 S. Pepys Diary 3 Feb. (1972) VI. 28 Mrs. Turner..is vexed because I do not serve her..in helping her to some good pennorths.

?1677 S. Primatt City & Covntry Purchaser & Builder 55 They do sometimes buy very great pennyworths in old Rubbish.

1679 J. Dryden & N. Lee Oedipus Prol. sig. A4^v You needs will have your pen'worths of the Play.

1680 R. Baxter Moral Prognostication ii. xix. 49 Cheap Food and Rayment is every ones Penny-worth.

1702 S. Parker tr. Cicero Five Bks. De Finibus ii. 101 That he only design'd to make his own Pennyworths and Advantages.

1704 D. Crauford Love at First Sight i. i. 7 She's every Man's pennyworth, from the Rich Collonel down to the Poor Centinel.

1772 E. Montagu Let. 9 Aug. in J. Doran Lady of Last Cent. (1873) 173 If a blue tafety..should come in your way and seem a pennyworth, please to add it.

a1779 D. Graham Coll. Writings (1883) II. 55 Heth she's o'er gently brought up to be a poor man's pennyworth.

1795 J. McManus Infernal Conf. v. 85 In order to obtain a good pennyworth, he shews him the goods for which he paid five shillings.

1819 W. Scott Let. 15 June (1933) V. 396 The armour, which I have no doubt is a great pennyworth.

1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 104 I've got a good penn'orth for my money.

1868 ‘H. Lee’ Basil Godfrey's Caprice xii. 62 You will not find it a dear pennyworth.

1898 S. Macmanus Bend of Road 40 Them buys him for a fool 'ill have wise penn'orth.

†b. In adverbial phrases. a good pennyworth and variants: as a bargain, as good value for money; cheaply. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adverb] > cheaply

eathly?c1225

good cheap1420

a good pennyworth1466

cheaply1552

cheap1569

affordably1775

on the cheap1859

keenly1928

1466–7 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 171 We pray ȝow that ȝe wol lete heme have them the bett peneworthe.

1682 London Gaz. No. 1780/4 A very well made Brewing Copper..may be had a very great Pennyworth.

1733–4 G. Berkeley Let. 7 Jan. in Wks. (1871) IV. 210 Perhaps the house and garden..may be got a good pennyworth.

c1771 S. Foote Maid of Bath iii. 53 Rich cloaths, which he has promised to sell me a penn'orth.

1800 Capt. Winterfield Voy., Distresses, & Adventures (new ed.) 27 This wit I bought, as it fell out, a pretty good pennyworth.

†c. Price in proportion to value; a specified rate or payment. Usually in at a (good, etc.) pennyworth. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [noun] > price in proportion to value

pennyworth1641

1641 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. F. Biondi Hist. Civil Warres Eng. I. v. 103 They had it at a dearer penny-worth.

1704 J. Swift Tale of Tub iv. 94 This Tract of Land he bought at a very great Penny-worth from the Discoverers themselves.

1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Basset-table in Court Poems 4 Behold this Equipage, of Mathers bought, With Fifty Guinea's; a great Pen'worth thought.

1729 in New Jersey Archives XI. 167 Which said Plantation will be sold at extraordinary Penniworth.

?1800 Brit. Jester 132 Remember what poor Richard says,..‘At a great pennyworth’... He means, that perhaps the cheapness is apparent only, and not real.

1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss II. iii. vi. 92 I aren't a poor chap. My mother gets a good penn'orth wi' picking feathers an' things.

†4. That which can be bought or sold for a given sum, in contrast to the money itself. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > quantity of goods bought for specific sum

pennyworth?a1400

sum1443

quidsworth1940

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 64 (MED) Alle þat he mot gete, he robbed & reft; Peny no penyworth, no þing he no left.

1429 in R. T. Storey Reg. T. Langley (1959) 166 (MED) Item, to Margaret, my servant, in peny and in penyworth, xjxx and x marcz.

1465–6 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 175 To pay me..viij li. in mony, or in klothe swche peneworthes as I schal holde me plesed.

1516 Will of R. Peke of Wakefield in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1884) V. 75 To pay..iiij markes in money or elles in suche convenient pennyworth as they will taike for the said money.

a1591 H. Smith Serm. 1 Tim. vi. 6 When he hath bought it,..he boasteth of his pennyworths, and saith, it is better than his money.

1656 H. Phillippes Purchasers Pattern (1676) B iij b No man will take a Lease of an house,..but he hath some reason..to..provoke him thereunto, either by the worth of the penyworth, or the conveniency for his Trade and Living.

1678 Kirkcudbright Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 257 He..promist to pay hir or give her penyworths for the sowme aclamed be hir against him.

†5. In plural. Goods, wares. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun]

warec1000

cheapingc1200

chaffer1297

gooda1300

merchandisec1300

harnessc1386

pennyworths1403

haberdashery1419

merchandya1425

mercimonyc1460

merchantyc1485

merchandrise?1495

haberdasha1529

traffic1533

chaffery1535

trade1645

Manchester goods1705

stuff1708

sundries1740

business model1832

Manchester1920

tradables1921

durable1930

1403–4 in F. B. Bickley Little Red Bk. Bristol (1900) II. 182 (MED) Alle estraungeours that commeth to the same towne wyth eny penyworthes yclepid smythware to sylle..schulle stond in a place bysydes the hye croys of Bristow.

1463 Guildhall Let.-bk. in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 33 Divers foreins..that..with the werst frute therof gone hokkyng a boute from strete to strete..shulde..sille unto the comons better penyworthes then they nowe doon.

1535 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 151 Under the pane of viii s. fra Thursday furtht that thair vyttaillis and pennevorchtis be sauld.

1602 in G. Donaldson Court Bk. Shetland, 1602–4 (1954) 16 Nochttheles a grete part of the commonis now abstractis thair waris and penniworthis fra him and giffis them to uther merschandis.

Phrases

(proverbial)

†P1. to cast (one's) pennyworths: to reckon what is received for one's expenditure or outlay; to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of an undertaking; to count the cost. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > caution > be cautious or take care [verb (intransitive)] > act prudently

to cast (one's) pennyworths1530

to see (watch) which way the cat jumps1827

to screw one's head on tight1897

to play the percentages1951

to sniff the wind1972

1530 W. Tyndale Pract. Prelates sig. H When the prelates of both partyes had cast their penyworthes agenst all chaunces.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke xiv He wyll..cast his peniwoorthes in his minde what charges wyll be requisite for the finishyng of such a toure.

1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. H4 Democles..began to cast his bad peniworths, in whose face age had furrowed her wrinckles.

1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne iv. 149 He casts his penworths by some queint deuice.

P2. to have one's pennyworths out of and variants: to exact one's due from, esp. to take revenge on. Scottish after early 18th cent. Sc. National Dict. (1968) records this proverbial phrase as still in use in 1965.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > revenge > execute (vengeance) [verb (transitive)] > take vengeance on > be revenged upon

to be even witha1500

to have one's pennyworths out ofa1566

to be meet (also meets) with1584

to be with1597

to get even with1846

a1566 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) sig. Eij^v I wyll haue my penyworthes of thee.

1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iii. xiii. 130 Leopoldus..meaning now to get his peny-worths out of him, for the affront done unto him in Palestine.

1668 F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue II. vii. 69 ‘In the mean time Master Shopkeeper’ (said he) ‘I will have my pennyworths out of you’, and thereupon falling on him with his fists, [etc.].

1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 207 They take out their Penny-worths in Satyr, and Slander.

1821 W. Liddle Poems 161 He swore by a' that bides aboon That penny worths he wou'd hae soon.

1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin v. 50 Mr Squeeker..thrashed him within an inch o' his life... Havin' ta'en his pennyworths o' Jock [etc.].

1932 J. Saxby Trad. Lore 99 ‘I got me flesh pennie-wirts oot o' him,’..‘Flesh pennie-wirts’ is money earned with the blood, or exorbitant charges screwed out of toiling mortals.

1963 in Sc. National Dict. (1968) 88/2 He means to get his pennysworth out of you, i.e. to take advantage of you, get all he can out of you, ‘bleed you white’.]

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	pennyworth
释义	pennyworthn. Brit. /ˈpɛnəθ/, /ˈpɛnᵻwəθ/, /ˈpɛnᵻwəːθ/, U.S. /ˈpɛniˌwərθ/ Forms: α. see penny n. and worth n.¹; also 1500s–1800s penniworth, 1700s penny-wo'th (Scottish), 1900s– pennie-wirt (Scottish). β. late Middle English penworþ, 1500s penerth, 1500s–1600s penworth, 1600s penneard, 1600s pennerth, 1600s penn'worth, 1600s–1700s pen'worth, 1600s–1800s pen'orth, 1600s– pennorth, 1600s– penn'orth Brit. /ˈpɛnəθ/, U.S. /ˈpɛnərθ/; English regional 1700s–1800s penneth, 1800s pennard (south-western), 1800s pennath, 1800s pen'ord (south-western), 1800s punnah (Suffolk), 1800s punnath (Suffolk), 1800s punor (Suffolk), 1800s– pennerd (south-western), 1800s– pennord (south-western), 1800s– pennuth, 1800s– punner (East Anglian), 1800s– punnor (East Anglian); also Scottish pre-1700 pennort, pre-1700 pennortht, pre-1700 penvorcht, pre-1700 1700s pennert. Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: penny n., worth n.¹ Etymology: < penny n. + worth n.¹ 1. a. As much as can be bought or sold for a penny. Frequently with partitive of or (in Old English) genitive. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > monetary value > [noun] > amount of specific value > specific pennyworthOE halfpennywortha1035 shillingswortha1325 three-halfpennyworthc1440 sixpennyworthc1450 pounds worthc1460 groatsworth1562 penny1564 penny piece1601 threepennyworth1617 piceworth1832 two pennyworth1851 six1871 pounder1895 α. OE Lacnunga (2001) I. lxxx. 70 An penigweorð swefles. OE Orky's Grant to Abbotsbury Guild in B. Thorpe Diplomatarium Anglicum Ævi Saxonici (1865) 605 An peningcwurð weaxes. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 37 (MED) Hi habbeþ þri paneworþes of worke uor ane peny. a1425 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1960) A. iii. 237 (MED) Penyworth [c1400 Trin. Cambr. In marchaundie is no mede, I may it wel auowe; It is a permutacioun apertly, a peny for anoþer]. 1449 in W. Fraser Melvilles & Leslies (1890) III. 33 His eme sal recompence..his saide scathis, ilka peny or peny wortht. ?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 94 A Penny worrth, denariatum. 1559 Seconde Volume of Fabians Chronicle in Chronicle of Fabian (new ed.) sig. ZZ.v The Maior wente to the woode warfes, and solde to the poore people billet and faggot, by the peniworthe. 1573 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1889) IV. 153 xviij. peyneworthe of appyles. a1614 J. Melville Autobiogr. & Diary (1842) 21 A pennie-worthe of aples. 1615 J. Stephens Ess. & Characters (new ed.) 350 Hee contents himselfe with a parcel of twopeniworth [of cheese] at the Chandelors. 1758 S. Johnson Idler 16 Dec. 289 She..will never buy any thing by single pennyworths. 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xii. 116 He brought my little ones a pennyworth of gingerbread each. 1851 D. Jerrold St. Giles & St. James (new ed.) vii, in Writings I. 69 Ordering..two pennyworth of ale, and bread and cheese. 1899 E. Nesbit Story of Treasure Seekers xii. 204 Oswald got a pennyworth of alum, because it is so cheap. 1959 Home Encycl. 232 Mix together a pennyworth of pearl-ash, soft soap and Fuller's earth. 1989 Scots Mag. Mar. 674 A pennyworth of milk and tuppenceworth of cream. β. c1425 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Liverpool Univ.) (1960) A. v. 175 Penworþes [c1400 Trin. Cambr. Þo risen vp..And preisiden þe peneworthis apertly be hemseluen].1565 in W. Mackay & H. C. Boyd Rec. Inverness (1911) I. 127 vj pennort weddeis and half dussan caberis.1617 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/5) For thre penneard of wax candelles iijd.1668 J. Dryden Sr Martin Mar-all ii. 22 You have so little Brains, that a Penn'orth of Butter melted under 'um would set 'um afloat.1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxxviii. 343 She had colloquies with the green-grocer about the pennorth of turnips.c1863 T. Taylor in M. R. Booth Eng. Plays of 19th Cent. (1969) II. 83 Four penn'orth of brandy, if you please.1905 G. B. Shaw Let. 15 Nov. (1972) II. 577 I said I would have a pennorth, that being the utmost of my means.1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. i. ii. 17 We di'n't very often get a penny to spend, but if we did we could spend it on a penn'orth of treacle toffee made and sold..by the school master's wife. †b. Chiefly Scottish. pennyworth of land: = pennyland n. 1. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > real or immovable property > land > land worth specific amount per annum pennylanda1300 pennyland1439 soudeec1450 pennyworth of land1499 penny1504 uris-land1534 uris-cop1609 librate1610 obolate1610 solidate1610 ure of land1774 ounceland1805 1499 Charter Edinb. Reg. House No. 625 The fourty pennyworth of my landis..lyand in to my barronry of Ekklis. 1536 in D. H. Fleming Registrum Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum (1921) II. 306/1 The gift of the nonentres, [etc.]..of the thre scoir of pennyworth of the landis of Knodart. ?1599 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 215 One pennyeworthe of land lyinge at Norwood Edge. 2. figurative. An amount, a sum, a contribution; esp. a very small amount or contribution. Usually in negative contexts. Frequently with partitive of-complement (formerly also without of). Now also: spec. (without complement) a person's contribution to a discussion. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > a small quantity or amount > a very small amount shredc1000 farthingsworthc1325 pennyworthc1330 incha1350 sliverc1374 chipa1393 gnastc1440 Jack1530 spoonful1531 crumba1535 spark1548 slight1549 pin's worth1562 scruple1574 thought1581 pinch1583 scrap1583 splinter1609 ticket1634 notchet1637 indivisible1644 tinyc1650 twopence1691 turn of the scale(s)1706 enough to swear by1756 touch1786 scrimptiona1825 infinitesimal1840 smidgen1841 snuff1842 fluxion1846 smitchel1856 eyelash1860 smidge1866 tenpenceworth1896 whisker1913 tidge1986 c1330 Pennyworth of Wit (Auch.) 47 in Englische Studien (1884) 7 113/2 (MED) Haue a fair pani here..Bi þer wiþ a peniworþ witt, & in þine hert fast it knitt. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. viii. 49 Of þe pore peple no peneworþ to take. a1450 (?1418) in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 62 (MED) Sette mendis for trespas in euene balaunce; For a penyworth of harm, tak not two. c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 145 All yat j may..j suld tak fra him, and neuer geve him a penyworth tharof. 1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. cvi^v I wil noght turn myn entent..Or I pair of pris ane penny worth in this place. 1590 ‘Pasquil’ First Pt. Pasquils Apol. sig. B^v [She] had requited euery penni-woorth of duetie with many a pounde of fauour. 1616 Sir R. Dudley in S. R. Gardiner Fortescue Papers (1871) 16 I have never accepted from any Prince or Prelate one peniworth of Entertaynement. 1664 S. Butler Hudibras: Second Pt. ii. iii. 135 This was the Pen'worth of his thought, To pass time, and uneasie trot. 1735 S.-Carolina Gaz. 13 Sept. 2/2 'Tis said they were for the Spanish Coast to enrich themselves, but happened to be nab'd before they had taken a Penny worth of Spoil. 1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker I. 84 It [sc. a dose of medicine] worked Mrs. Gwyllim a pennorth. 1879 Scribner's Monthly Dec. 251/2 Your true man of business..is never so generous with his pennyworths of thought as when newly in possession of some little secret worth many pounds. 1894 W. Black Highland Cousins I. 18 There will not be a pennyworth of grudging in her welcome. 1925 Cent. Mag. Jan. 30/1 Would it have made two pennorth of difference? 1934 L. Charteris Boodle iii. 72 The helicopter racket had been failing in its dividends, and the past year had not shown a single pennyworth of profit. 1966 A. MacLean When Eight Bells Toll iii. 53 It would have looked damned odd if I hadn't turned up to add my pennyworth to the chorus of bitter complaint. 1992 Daily Mail 17 Aug. 28/1 A succession of extremely pompous commentators, historians, royal watchers, a pollster, and one individual described as a ‘social critic’, lined up to add their pennyworth to the debate. 3. a. An item of merchandise considered in terms of its value for money; a (good, etc.) bargain. Hence: money's worth, value for money, return for one's payment or trouble; †profit, advantage obtained (obsolete). Frequently with modifying adjective, as good, bad, dear, great, fair. Also (without adjective): something obtained cheaply, a good bargain. Now chiefly regional. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > [noun] > sufficient return for payment or trouble pennyworth1340 value for money1832 bang for the buck1953 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 23 (MED) Ydeleblisse..is þe dyeules peni, huermide he bayþ alle þe uayre pane-worþes ine the markatte of þise wordle. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 90 (MED) Charite is a guod chapfare þet oueral wynþ and none time ne lyest; alle þe guode paneworþes hy bayþ. c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 268 Sir Roger the Mortymer..bisette his penyworthe [v.r. penyworthes; Fr. enploie ses darez] wiþ þe officers of þe Quenes househalde in þe same maner as þe Kyngus officeres deden. c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 150 Riht ofte she sheweth goode penywoorthes. c1465 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 68 (MED) God knoweth full evell penyworthes thei had and sharp. 1547 Extracted Processes, Court of Session (Edinb. Reg. House) No. vi And he purposet to heif blokit with him & he cuth heif gottin ane penny wortht of it. 1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. iv. 31 You take your penniworths [1623 peniworths] now, Sleepe for a weeke. View more context for this quotation 1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iv. xv. 194 To sell his life at such a rate that the buyer should little boast of his peny-worth. 1660 R. Allestree Gentlemans Calling v. 74 If a Witness prove a better penniworth then the Judge, Subornation shall do the business. 1665 S. Pepys Diary 3 Feb. (1972) VI. 28 Mrs. Turner..is vexed because I do not serve her..in helping her to some good pennorths. ?1677 S. Primatt City & Covntry Purchaser & Builder 55 They do sometimes buy very great pennyworths in old Rubbish. 1679 J. Dryden & N. Lee Oedipus Prol. sig. A4^v You needs will have your pen'worths of the Play. 1680 R. Baxter Moral Prognostication ii. xix. 49 Cheap Food and Rayment is every ones Penny-worth. 1702 S. Parker tr. Cicero Five Bks. De Finibus ii. 101 That he only design'd to make his own Pennyworths and Advantages. 1704 D. Crauford Love at First Sight i. i. 7 She's every Man's pennyworth, from the Rich Collonel down to the Poor Centinel. 1772 E. Montagu Let. 9 Aug. in J. Doran Lady of Last Cent. (1873) 173 If a blue tafety..should come in your way and seem a pennyworth, please to add it. a1779 D. Graham Coll. Writings (1883) II. 55 Heth she's o'er gently brought up to be a poor man's pennyworth. 1795 J. McManus Infernal Conf. v. 85 In order to obtain a good pennyworth, he shews him the goods for which he paid five shillings. 1819 W. Scott Let. 15 June (1933) V. 396 The armour, which I have no doubt is a great pennyworth. 1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 104 I've got a good penn'orth for my money. 1868 ‘H. Lee’ Basil Godfrey's Caprice xii. 62 You will not find it a dear pennyworth. 1898 S. Macmanus Bend of Road 40 Them buys him for a fool 'ill have wise penn'orth. †b. In adverbial phrases. a good pennyworth and variants: as a bargain, as good value for money; cheaply. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > low price or rate > [adverb] > cheaply eathly?c1225 good cheap1420 a good pennyworth1466 cheaply1552 cheap1569 affordably1775 on the cheap1859 keenly1928 1466–7 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 171 We pray ȝow that ȝe wol lete heme have them the bett peneworthe. 1682 London Gaz. No. 1780/4 A very well made Brewing Copper..may be had a very great Pennyworth. 1733–4 G. Berkeley Let. 7 Jan. in Wks. (1871) IV. 210 Perhaps the house and garden..may be got a good pennyworth. c1771 S. Foote Maid of Bath iii. 53 Rich cloaths, which he has promised to sell me a penn'orth. 1800 Capt. Winterfield Voy., Distresses, & Adventures (new ed.) 27 This wit I bought, as it fell out, a pretty good pennyworth. †c. Price in proportion to value; a specified rate or payment. Usually in at a (good, etc.) pennyworth. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > [noun] > price in proportion to value pennyworth1641 1641 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. F. Biondi Hist. Civil Warres Eng. I. v. 103 They had it at a dearer penny-worth. 1704 J. Swift Tale of Tub iv. 94 This Tract of Land he bought at a very great Penny-worth from the Discoverers themselves. 1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Basset-table in Court Poems 4 Behold this Equipage, of Mathers bought, With Fifty Guinea's; a great Pen'worth thought. 1729 in New Jersey Archives XI. 167 Which said Plantation will be sold at extraordinary Penniworth. ?1800 Brit. Jester 132 Remember what poor Richard says,..‘At a great pennyworth’... He means, that perhaps the cheapness is apparent only, and not real. 1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss II. iii. vi. 92 I aren't a poor chap. My mother gets a good penn'orth wi' picking feathers an' things. †4. That which can be bought or sold for a given sum, in contrast to the money itself. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > quantity of goods bought for specific sum pennyworth?a1400 sum1443 quidsworth1940 ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 64 (MED) Alle þat he mot gete, he robbed & reft; Peny no penyworth, no þing he no left. 1429 in R. T. Storey Reg. T. Langley (1959) 166 (MED) Item, to Margaret, my servant, in peny and in penyworth, xjxx and x marcz. 1465–6 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 175 To pay me..viij li. in mony, or in klothe swche peneworthes as I schal holde me plesed. 1516 Will of R. Peke of Wakefield in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1884) V. 75 To pay..iiij markes in money or elles in suche convenient pennyworth as they will taike for the said money. a1591 H. Smith Serm. 1 Tim. vi. 6 When he hath bought it,..he boasteth of his pennyworths, and saith, it is better than his money. 1656 H. Phillippes Purchasers Pattern (1676) B iij b No man will take a Lease of an house,..but he hath some reason..to..provoke him thereunto, either by the worth of the penyworth, or the conveniency for his Trade and Living. 1678 Kirkcudbright Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 257 He..promist to pay hir or give her penyworths for the sowme aclamed be hir against him. †5. In plural. Goods, wares. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] warec1000 warec1000 cheapingc1200 chaffer1297 gooda1300 merchandisec1300 harnessc1386 pennyworths1403 haberdashery1419 merchandya1425 mercimonyc1460 merchantyc1485 merchandrise?1495 haberdasha1529 traffic1533 chaffery1535 trade1645 Manchester goods1705 stuff1708 sundries1740 business model1832 Manchester1920 tradables1921 durable1930 1403–4 in F. B. Bickley Little Red Bk. Bristol (1900) II. 182 (MED) Alle estraungeours that commeth to the same towne wyth eny penyworthes yclepid smythware to sylle..schulle stond in a place bysydes the hye croys of Bristow. 1463 Guildhall Let.-bk. in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 33 Divers foreins..that..with the werst frute therof gone hokkyng a boute from strete to strete..shulde..sille unto the comons better penyworthes then they nowe doon. 1535 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 151 Under the pane of viii s. fra Thursday furtht that thair vyttaillis and pennevorchtis be sauld. 1602 in G. Donaldson Court Bk. Shetland, 1602–4 (1954) 16 Nochttheles a grete part of the commonis now abstractis thair waris and penniworthis fra him and giffis them to uther merschandis. Phrases (proverbial) †P1. to cast (one's) pennyworths: to reckon what is received for one's expenditure or outlay; to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of an undertaking; to count the cost. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > caution > be cautious or take care [verb (intransitive)] > act prudently to cast (one's) pennyworths1530 to see (watch) which way the cat jumps1827 to screw one's head on tight1897 to play the percentages1951 to sniff the wind1972 1530 W. Tyndale Pract. Prelates sig. H When the prelates of both partyes had cast their penyworthes agenst all chaunces. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke xiv He wyll..cast his peniwoorthes in his minde what charges wyll be requisite for the finishyng of such a toure. 1589 R. Greene Menaphon sig. H4 Democles..began to cast his bad peniworths, in whose face age had furrowed her wrinckles. 1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne iv. 149 He casts his penworths by some queint deuice. P2. to have one's pennyworths out of and variants: to exact one's due from, esp. to take revenge on. Scottish after early 18th cent. Sc. National Dict. (1968) records this proverbial phrase as still in use in 1965. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > reciprocal treatment or return of an action > revenge > execute (vengeance) [verb (transitive)] > take vengeance on > be revenged upon to be even witha1500 to have one's pennyworths out ofa1566 to be meet (also meets) with1584 to be with1597 to get even with1846 a1566 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) sig. Eij^v I wyll haue my penyworthes of thee. 1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre iii. xiii. 130 Leopoldus..meaning now to get his peny-worths out of him, for the affront done unto him in Palestine. 1668 F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue II. vii. 69 ‘In the mean time Master Shopkeeper’ (said he) ‘I will have my pennyworths out of you’, and thereupon falling on him with his fists, [etc.]. 1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 207 They take out their Penny-worths in Satyr, and Slander. 1821 W. Liddle Poems 161 He swore by a' that bides aboon That penny worths he wou'd hae soon. 1864 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin v. 50 Mr Squeeker..thrashed him within an inch o' his life... Havin' ta'en his pennyworths o' Jock [etc.]. 1932 J. Saxby Trad. Lore 99 ‘I got me flesh pennie-wirts oot o' him,’..‘Flesh pennie-wirts’ is money earned with the blood, or exorbitant charges screwed out of toiling mortals. 1963 in Sc. National Dict. (1968) 88/2 He means to get his pennysworth out of you, i.e. to take advantage of you, get all he can out of you, ‘bleed you white’.] This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.OE
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