There are also other English expressions which use the word penny to refer to thoughts. Similar expressions to ‘penny for your thoughts’ have existed such as pennyworth of wit ( penn’orth of wit). At one time, the word was commonly used as a synonym for ‘coin.’ This gave rise to many expressions, such as “a pretty penny,” which would refer to a great sum of money, as opposed to an attractive penny. What are you thinking about For example, Youve been awfully quieta penny for your thoughts. 2 Answers Sorted by: 10 Googling further, I found this quote from 'The Dictionary of Clichs' by James Rogers: penny for your thoughts 'What's on your mind (Usually said to someone who is looking pensive.) The saying is from a time when the British penny was worth a significant sum. Although the British pound was not divided into 100 equal parts like our American dollar, its smallest unit was called a penny, which is where we got our word for 1/100th of a dollar. A Penny for My Thoughts is a role-playing game by Paul Tevis, published by Evil Hat Productions in 2009. This was a monetary unit of currency having two denominations, the greater at one-fifth of a shilling, and the less, as one-twelfth of a shilling. The word penny itself dates back many hundreds of years, coming from the Anglo-Saxon word pening or penig. This gentle prodding knocks Sam out of his reverie and he says with an apologetic smile “Oh, I’m just distracted by this big deadline at work. He’s not quite being his jovial self, Sara doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it, so she says, “A penny for your thoughts.” Sara is telling Sam about what happened with her sister, but Sam seems lost in his own thoughts, hardly paying attention. Examples Of UseĪ couple, Sam and Sara, are out for dinner in their favorite restaurant. lend me a dollar Ahh-ha' 'How much A dollar.' 'One dollar.' 'I got your money. When you say ‘a penny for your thoughts,’ you probably don’t have these rare 1909 Lincoln wheat pennies in mind, which can be worth hundreds of dollars. A Penny for My Thoughts Lyrics Intro 'Friends, Romans, Countrymen. It means simply “what are you thinking,” and we are not actually offering any monetary compensation in exchange for another person’s thoughts.

A penny for my thoughts