half-crown

A shopkeeper hands a customer a shiny half-crown coin.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A former British coin: "half-crown" refers to a silver coin used in the United Kingdom before decimalisation in 1971, worth two shillings and sixpence (equivalent to 12.5 pence in the new system).
   • Monetary value: It also denotes the sum of money equal to the value of this coin.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He found an old half-crown in his grandfather's drawer. (A historic British coin.)
  • The bus fare was only a half-crown in those days. (A specific amount of money.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be worth a half-crown": to have a value equivalent to that coin.

  • The antique token was worth a half-crown when it was minted. (The token's original monetary value.)

• "half-crown piece": a physical coin of that denomination.

  • She collected a half-crown piece from the 19th century. (A specific coin type.)

Variants and Related Words

• Half-crown (adj): relating to the coin or its value.

  • The half-crown stamp was rare. (A stamp costing or depicting the coin's value.)

• Crown (n): a larger British coin worth five shillings.

  • The crown was double the value of a half-crown. (A related denomination.)

Synonyms

• Two shillings and sixpence: the precise amount in old British currency.
• 2s 6d: the shorthand notation for the value.

Related Idioms

• "as common as a half-crown": a dated expression meaning something that was once common but is now rare.

  • Finding a good pub in this area is as common as a half-crown. (Very rare, like the coin.)

• "not have a half-crown to one's name": to be extremely poor.

  • After the war, many families did not have a half-crown to their name. (They had no money at all.)