twopenny

English

Etymology

Adjective

twopenny (not comparable)

  1. Having a value or cost of twopence.
  2. Cheap; worthless; petty.
    • 1888, James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, page 145:
      A pretty degree of knighthood, sir, is that which can be bought with sugar-hogs-heads! and then your twopenny marquisates
    • 1940, Woman's Home Companion, volume 67, numbers 1-4, page 134:
      As the door slammed Pete turned to Hally, fuming. "Can you tie that? A little twopenny cold frightening him off."

Noun

twopenny (countable and uncountable, plural twopennies)

  1. (British, countable, dated) A coin or stamp worth two pence.
    • 1852, Edward Litt L. Blanchard, Freaks and follies of fabledom, page 93:
      When the Gauls attacked Rome, he hit upon the plan of pelting the soldiers with twopennies to make them believe they had plenty to eat.
  2. (British, uncountable, obsolete) Ale sold for two pence per quart.
  3. (British, countable, slang, obsolete) A person's head.
    • 1880, Our Boys' Paper, page 411:
      "It flew all to pieces; and didn't we get it! But look here, Merry, are you on?"
      "Yes; tuck in your twopenny."
      "No springing, mind."

Derived terms

References

  • (head): John Camden Hotten (1873), The Slang Dictionary