Because the phrase ‘by the penny’ is implied that whatever it is, will squeeze all the value out down to the singular digit, because the penny has a value of 1 cent as we all know. However, with the penny no longer in production, how soon can we expect a time where nobody will say “by the penny”?
How long did it take before references to ha’penny (pronounced haypenny, short for half penny) stopped after those were phased out?
There’s a song I know of that mentions them and that’s it. They were in use starting in 1672 and phased out in the 1970s, so a hugely long time, yet they are never mentioned anymore despite being in use during modern lifetimes.
Perhaps people from the UK hear the word more often, but I basically never come across it in media or anything, even period pieces.
(The song I know is “Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please to put a penny in an old man’s hat. If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do, if you haven’t got a ha’penny, than god bless you”)
Probably two or three generations after those who actually handled pennies, but then again it wouldn’t be the first time an old phrase or usage fossilised and remained in a language long after its full meaning has been obscured by time.
One example that springs to mind is the “ut” of “utmost”. It’s an old spelling of “out”, but the word has stuck around because “out(er)most” means something else.
I have never heard that phrase used and im over 50.
Maybe they meant “to the penny/cent”
I don’t even really recognize that unless like down to the penny as in being exacting.
Theres a game on The Price is Right tv show called “To The Penny”.
oh i have not watched that in decades.
I think that’s exactly what OP means. If English isn’t their first language, prepositions do be confusing.
Never heard this expression tbh, where is it used? The UK maybe?
UK here, not an expression I recognise either. “By the pound”, yes, but that’s a unit of weight rather than currency.
Maybe it’s some mangled AI-translation of “not worth a tuppence” a low-value coin in the UK.
The only little saying I can think of with penny is, “a penny for your thoughts.”
Well, here is ‘my 2 cents’ for me turned into ‘my nickles worth’, we got rid of our penny’s a while ago
I have never heard of this before so I guess it already happened?
In the US and have never heard this one either.
I have heard in for a penny, in for a pound.
I’ve heard that one as well as penny wise and pound foolish, penny for your thoughts, here’s my 2 cents, etc.
I’ve heard your other examples but not “by the penny”.
Probably a while. People still say “roll up the window” even though most haven’t “rolled” up for close to 10-20 years now.
I like to imagine that inside the car door the window is stored in a roll. Of course that reverses the normal meaning of “roll up” since in this case the roll is at the bottom, unlike blinds or toilet paper.
tbf I feel like it’s appropriate for the upwards motion of a car window, and I can’t think of a better alternative, nor have I ever heard one
I like roll up but it could simply be raise the window lower the window.
It already happened
The save icon still tends to be a floppy disk, so I’d say you have a while yet
The UK still makes pennies.
