phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Bad penny

Posted by ESC on October 17, 2000

In Reply to: Bad penny posted by Kay on October 17, 2000

: I'm trying to find the origin of the term "bad penny." Any takers?

"BAD PENNY -- The phrase usually is heard in this country (U.S.) as 'A bad penny always turns up,' meaning that a no-good person can be counted upon to come back again and again. The expression was originally English and the unit of currency referred to was the shilling. Sir Walter Scott, in one of his early nineteenth-century novels, whereto: 'Bring back Darsie? Little doubt of that. The bad shilling is sure enough to come back again.'" From Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.