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Glite Dictionary
not worth a Continental

not worth a Continental

9.9
Completely without value or use
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : no vale un centavo
  • After all the damage he caused, his promises are not worth a Continental to me.

Examples

  • Many people consider that old car to be not worth a Continental because it barely runs.

  • Hence the term not worth a continental and good as gold.

  • Hence the phrase, 'not worth a Continental.'

    Blog text (23)

  • What about 'not worth a Continental' and the paper printed by Paterson, the initiator of the paper bank note?

    Blog text (16)

  • The advice he gave was not worth a Continental, as it didn't help at all.

Synonyms

worthless
vsnot worth a Continental
298 3.0

Has no value or use

is a fixed expression conveying the same complete lack of value
worth a dime
vsnot worth a Continental
  • Informal
1 7.0

Having little or no value

implies total lack of value rather than only small or uncertain value
not worth a dime
vsnot worth a Continental
  • Informal
1 6.2

Of no value or use

is the same meaning but uses an alternate idiomatic expression
not worth a plug nickel
vsnot worth a Continental
  • Archaic
1 9.6

Has no value and is useless to anyone

is the same meaning but uses a different idiomatic phrase
not worth a brass farthing
vsnot worth a Continental
  • Archaic
9.9

Completely without value or use

is equivalent in meaning but appears as a different idiom
not worth salt
vsnot worth a Continental
  • Informal
9.9

Having little or no value

states an absolute lack of value rather than expressing an opinion
worth only a nickel
vsnot worth a Continental
  • Archaic
6.9

It has very little value

asserts a complete lack of value rather than being only of small value

Antonyms

valuable
526 2.5

Very useful and important, for example advice or skills

worthwhile
184 3.5

An activity that is good to do because it gives useful or important results

How Worthless

not worth a Continental
  • Archaic
9.9
worthless
298 3.0

Surface Forms

not worth a Continental positive

Morphology

not + worth + a + Continental

While 'not' + 'worth' signals lack of value, the crucial noun 'a Continental' is a specific cultural/historical referent (e.g. a Continental banknote/brand) that a typical B1 learner will not recognize, so the exact evaluative meaning cannot be derived from the parts. Because the expression relies on that opaque reference rather than fully compositional logic, it is idiomatic and unpredictable for learners.

Etymology

Not worth a Continental may come from a paper money called the Continental that the American government used in the 1770s. That money soon lost value and became almost useless, so saying something was not worth a Continental came to mean 'completely worthless'.