penny dreadful

A cheap sensational serial or book, etc

penny /penˈi/

noun (pl pennies /penˈiz/ (as material objects) or pence /pens/ (as units of value))

1. A coin, orig silver, later copper, then bronze from 1860, formerly worth 1/12 of a shilling, or 1/240 of a pound, now (orig new penny) equal to a hundredth part of £1
2. Its value
3. Applied to various more or less similar coins
4. A cent (N American informal)
5. A small sum
6. (in pl) money in general
7. A denarius (Bible)
8. Pound, in fourpenny, sixpenny, tenpenny nails, being of four, six, ten pound weight to the thousand

adjective

1. Sold for a penny
2. Costing a penny

pennˈied adjective

Possessed of a penny

pennˈiless adjective

1. Without a penny
2. Without money
3. Poor

pennˈilessness noun

penny-a-lineˈ noun and intransitive verb

penny-a-linˈer noun

A hack writer of the worst, or worst-paid, kind

penny-a-linˈerism noun

A hack writer's verbal expression

penny ante noun (orig US)

A variety of the game of poker in which only modest stakes are allowed

pennˈy-anˈte adjective

Of no great value or significance

penny arcade noun

An amusement arcade with slot machines orig operated by a penny

pennˈy-bank noun (obsolete)

A savings-bank that takes pennies

penny black noun

The first adhesive postage stamp, issued by Britain in 1840

pennˈy-bun or penny-bun mushroom noun

A cep, Boletus edulis

pennˈycress noun

A cruciferous plant of the genus Thlaspi, with round flat pods

pennˈy-dogˈ noun

The tope or miller's dog, a kind of shark

penny dreadful see under dread

pennˈy-farˈthing noun

1. A penny and a farthing
2. An ‘ordinary’, an old-fashioned bicycle with a big wheel at the front and a little one at the back

pennˈy-fee noun

1. Wages in money
2. (without hyphen) a small wage (Scot)

penny gaff noun (slang)

A low-class theatre

pennˈy-in-the-slotˈ adjective

Worked by putting a penny in a slot

pennˈyland noun (historical)

Land valued at a penny a year

penny loafer noun (orig US)

A style of casual shoe with a slot into which a coin could be placed

penny mail noun (Scot)

1. Rent in money, not in kind
2. A small sum paid to a feudal lord

pennˈy-piece noun

A penny

pennˈy-pig noun (Scot)

A money box, properly of earthenware (pig)

pennˈy-pinchˈ intransitive verb

pennˈy-pinchˈing adjective

Miserly, too concerned with saving money

pennˈy-plainˈ adjective

Plain, straightforward, unpretentious (from 19c children's paper cut-out figures for toy theatres, costing one penny if plain, twopence if coloured; hence, penny-plain, twopence-coloured used of any two basically similar articles, one having a more attractive appearance)

pennˈy-postˈ noun

A means of, or organization for, carrying a letter for a penny

pennˈy-rentˈ noun

1. Rent in money
2. Income

penny share or penny stock noun (stock exchange)

A share or stock trading for less than £1 or $1, usu bought very speculatively

pennˈy-stone or pennˈy-stane noun (Scot)

A round flat stone used as a quoit

pennˈystone-castˈ noun

A stone's throw for such a stone

pennˈy-weddˈing noun (archaic)

A wedding at which the guests each contribute a small sum towards the entertainment, etc, the surplus being presented as a gift to the bride and bridegroom

pennˈyweight noun

A unit equal to twenty-four grains of troy weight (the weight of a silver penny), or 1/20 of an ounce troy

penny whistle noun

A tin whistle or flageolet

pennˈy-wisˈdom noun

Prudence in petty matters

penny wise adjective

1. Careful at saving small sums, esp when careless in the saving of larger ones (pound foolish)
2. Niggardly on occasions when generosity is needed or expected

pennˈywort noun

A name given to various plants with round leaves, esp Hydrocotyle (an umbelliferous marsh-plant) and navelwort (genus Cotyledon)

pennˈyworth noun

1. A penny's worth of anything
2. The amount that can be got for a penny
3. An unsolicited remark expressing one's opinion (also two pennyworth, etc)
4. A good bargain (also penn'orth /penˈərth/; informal)

a penny for your thoughts (informal)

What are you thinking (so deeply) about?

a pretty penny

A considerable sum of money

in for a penny, in for a pound

There is no point in half measures

in penny numbers

A very few, or a very little, at a time

not a penny the worse

None the worse

pennies from heaven

Money obtained without effort and unexpectedly

Peter's pence

1. Rome-scot, a tax or tribute of a silver penny paid to the Pope, in England perhaps from the time of Offa of Mercia and in Ireland from Henry II, then abolished under Henry VIII
2. A similar tax elsewhere
3. A voluntary contribution to the Pope in modern times

spend a penny see under spend

the penny drops

Now I (etc) understand

turn an honest penny

To earn some money honestly

two (or ten) a penny

In abundant supply and consequently of little value