threepenny
Americanadjective
-
of the amount or value of threepence.
-
of little worth.
Etymology
Origin of threepenny
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at three, penny
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The paper's lead story says the £1 coin is to be scrapped in favour of a new design "shaped like an old threepenny bit".
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2014
I especially loved the threepenny bit for its dodecagonal - 12-sided - weirdness, its brass and nickel sallow yellow gleam and the crowned portcullis on its back.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2010
In London, Albert Loria, a senior partner in a banking firm, was fined �3 for defacing an outdated ticket to avoid paying a threepenny subway fare.
From Time Magazine Archive
Our kids will get threepenny ice-cream cones instead of sixpenny ones.
From Time Magazine Archive
With a hammer and two threepenny nails in hand, Stella Armijo emerged from her low adobe farmhouse one morning while Herbie reclined on his front stoop trying to read a book.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
