What is the origin of 'sleep tight'?
Read moreOne of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
noun
British1An amount of something that may be bought for a penny.
‘a pennyworth of chips’- ‘All of them, appropriately for a bank, contributed their pennyworth.’
- ‘He smiled at Chrissy through the car window as he squirted the last pennyworth in and twisted the petrol cap back on.’
- ‘The prosecutor told the court that the defendant had purchased two pennyworth of sweets and then went round the side of the stall and ‘gave it a push’ sending the stall crashing to the ground.’
- ‘Quickly I gave my order, ‘a loaf, a pot of jam and a pennyworth of sweets.’’
- ‘If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work.’
- ‘But then I never have found a conspiracy theory worth wrapping six penn'orth of chips in.’
- ‘I think it's high time we called a halt to all those penn'orths of tar we've been applying to the ship.’
- ‘It seems quite possible that the same readers bought both pennyworths.’
- ‘In any mind which has a pennyworth of imagination it produces a good attitude towards foreigners.’
- ‘Meter charges for Wood Street and the Square will not make a pennyworth of difference.’
- 1.1archaic Value for one's money.
2one's pennyworthA person's contribution to a discussion.
‘Bob would have to put his two pennyworth in first’- ‘My two pennyworth on this is that the policemen must have been pretty bored (or Anthony was wearing his dustmask and they thought he was a danger to the public).’
- ‘My two pennyworth: perhaps some of the difficulties involved work as a kind of sacrifice of time and energy to increase the sense of dedication to the working?’
- ‘She adds her own pennyworth.’
- ‘He added: ‘Once you get into the realms of private property we are waiting for people to come along and put their two pennyworth in.’’
- ‘It is something I am quite interested in so I thought my two pennyworth might help.’
