sixpence
/'sikspəns/
Definition
- Noun:
- A small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies: A former British coin, made of silver and later cupronickel, with a value of six old pence (6d), equivalent to half a shilling or 2.5 new pence in decimal currency. It was demonetized and ceased to be minted in 1970.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- He found an old sixpence in his grandfather's coin collection.
- Before decimalization, a sixpence was a common coin in circulation.
- The idiom "to turn on a sixpence" refers to the ability to change direction very quickly.
Advanced Usage
- "To turn on a sixpence": An idiom meaning to change direction or opinion very swiftly and within a very small space.
- The new sports car can turn on a sixpence.
- "A sixpence in her shoe": A reference to a traditional good luck charm for a bride, where a sixpence is placed in the bride's shoe for wealth and happiness.
- According to the old rhyme, the bride should have "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe."
Variants and Related Words
- Tanner (n): A colloquial or slang term for a sixpence coin.
- It cost me a tanner in the old days.
- Sixpenny (adj): Costing or valued at sixpence.
- He bought a sixpenny nail.
Synonyms
- Tanner: (Informal/British) A sixpence coin.
- Half-shilling: (Historical) Refers to its value in the pre-decimal system.
Related Phrases
- Not worth a brass sixpence: An idiom meaning completely worthless.
- His promises are not worth a brass sixpence.
- To look twice at a sixpence: To be very careful with money, to be frugal.
- She looks twice at a sixpence before spending it.
Noun
-
a small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies; not minted since 1970
Khám phá thêm
Các từ liên quan
Từ đồng nghĩa
