two-a-penny
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: - Very common, inexpensive, or of little value: Used to describe something that is so abundant or easily obtained that it is considered ordinary, cheap, or not special.
Usage
This adjective is typically used predicatively (after a linking verb like 'be' or 'seem') to express that something is not unique or valuable due to its commonness. It often carries a slightly dismissive or unimpressed tone.
Examples
- Adjective:
- Talented singers are two-a-penny these days; you need more than just a good voice to stand out.
- Those little souvenirs are two-a-penny in the market stalls by the beach.
- In the world of online influencers, reaction videos are two-a-penny.
Advanced Usage
- "to be two-a-penny": To be extremely common and therefore not noteworthy.
- Good ideas are two-a-penny; it's the execution that matters.
- The phrase can sometimes imply that because something is common, its individual quality or worth is low.
- After the factory opened, such trinkets became two-a-penny.
Variants and Related Words
- Ten a penny: (idiomatic, chiefly British) A direct synonym meaning equally common and cheap.
- Coffee shops are ten a penny in this part of the city.
- A dime a dozen: (idiomatic, chiefly North American) The common equivalent expression.
- Action movies like that are a dime a dozen.
Synonyms
- Commonplace: Ordinary and not interesting or unusual.
- Plentiful: Existing in large amounts, abundant.
- Cheap: Low in price, worth very little.
- Ubiquitous: Seeming to be everywhere.
Antonyms
- Rare: Not common or frequent; very unusual.
- Precious: Of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly.
- Unique: Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.
- Valuable: Worth a great deal of money or extremely useful.
Related Idioms
- Two-a-penny itself functions as an idiomatic adjective. Its meaning is fixed and should be understood as a whole unit, not by the literal sum of its words.
Adjective
- of trifling worth