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Yes and no

Posted by Word Camel on February 14, 2005

In Reply to: Yes and no posted by Ms. Laurie S. Dell, B.A. on February 14, 2005

: Coining phrases on coins has always been around. The term and meaning is accurate although when it actually began will take quite a bit of research to discover.

Luckily the OED has done the research for us and we know - until some one finds a earlier example - coin, in the sense of to invent a phrase, has been around since 1589. The word "coin" once meant wedge-shaped. It became associated with coins because the die used to imprint the image on the metal pieces was shaped like a wedge. The first recorded use of the word in English to indicate a stamp is 1362. The first mention of a "coin" as in money is 1386.

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