fourpenny

American  

[fawr-pen-ee, -puh-nee, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌpɛn i, -pə ni, ˈfoʊr- /

adjective

1. Carpentry.

   1. noting a nail 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) long.

   2. noting certain fine nails 1.375 inches (3.5 centimeters) long. 4d

2. British. of the amount or value of fourpence.

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fourpenny British  

/ ˈfɔːpənɪ /

adjective

1. slang a blow, esp with the fist

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Etymology

Origin of fourpenny

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English. See four, penny

Example Sentences

When he was a child-actor in London he used to steal waitresses' fourpenny tips to eke out his meagre lunches.

From Time Magazine Archive

Never a month but I’ve given you a silver fourpenny for yourself.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson Swanston Edition Vol. 6 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis

I have no idea how many fourpenny tortoises would make a meal for a healthy young nun on Monte San Giuliano, where one’s appetite is sharpened by the air. 

From Castellinaria and Other Sicilian Diversions by Jones, Henry Festing

That’s all right; £4 makes £99 10s. and 10s.—stop, let’s count them—count after your own father, as the saying is—four and five’s nine, and three fourpenny pieces; all right.

From Curiosities of Impecuniosity by Somerville, H. G.

“Thank ye,” dryly responds the Californian dispenser of drinks, taking the ten dollar tip with less show of gratitude than a London waiter would give for a fourpenny piece—little as that may be.

From The Flag of Distress A Story of the South Sea by Reid, Mayne