for two cents

1. For nothing; for a petty sum. For example, For two cents I'd quit the club entirely. Similarly, like two cents, means “of little or no value or importance, worthless,” as in She made me feel like two cents. The use of two cents in this sense is thought to be derived from a similar British use of twopence or tuppence, which dates from about 1600. The American coin was substituted in the 1800s, along with two bits, slang for 25 cents and also meaning “a petty sum.” Similarly,, meaning “to express one's unsolicited opinion for whatever it is worth,” dates from the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

And I’d say, “What can we do for two cents?”

Read more on New York Times

“We can provide universal child care and pre-K, raise wages for child-care providers and pre-K teachers, make college free for anyone who wants to go, and we can cancel student debt for up to ninety-five per cent of people. We can do all of that for two cents on the dollar.”

Read more on The New Yorker

He raised his kids here on Walnut Street, opened a martial arts studio and sold candy for two cents apiece at his convenience store.

Read more on Washington Times

The old mother filled it halfway up for two cents.

Read more on Literature

She had a bundle of wood blocks which she had bought for two cents, a can of condensed milk and three bananas in a bag.

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