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penny-farthing

American  
[pen-ee-fahr-thing] / ˈpɛn iˌfɑr ðɪŋ /

noun

British.

  1. a high bicycle of an early type, with one large wheel in front and one small wheel behind.

penny-farthing British  

noun

  1. US name: ordinary.  an early type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a small rear wheel, the pedals being attached to the front wheel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of penny-farthing

From a comparison of the size difference between the two bicycle wheels to the size difference between an old British penny and a farthing

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.