to toss a quid

9.9

To throw a one-pound coin into water for luck

idiom
/tɒs ə kwɪd/

: tirar una moneda

Feeling lucky, she decided to toss a quid into the fountain before her interview.

Examples

Every time he visits the wishing well, he tosses a quid and makes a wish.
He always tosses a quid before a big match.
Some tourists believe that if you toss a quid into the river, your wish will be granted.
Don't toss a quid!
Feeling lucky, she decided to toss a quid into the fountain before her interview.
Some tourists believe that if you toss a quid into the river, your wish will be granted.
Every time he visits the wishing well, he tosses a quid and makes a wish.

Antonyms

to keep

∞ 1.0

To continue doing something or stay in the same state

Surface Forms

toss a quid infinitive

tossed a quid past

tossed a quid past participle

tossing a quid present participle

tosses a quid third person singular

Morphology

toss + a + quid

The lexical parts ('toss' = throw, 'quid' = one pound) yield the literal meaning 'to throw a one-pound coin', so the basic action is directly derivable from the constituents. However, the specific pragmatic sense of doing this as a luck-gesture is culturally specific and not fully predictable from the words alone, so learners may not infer that communicative function without prior exposure.

Etymology

Toss a quid comes from the old habit of throwing a coin into a well or fountain to make a wish, where people would literally toss a quid into the water. So today it means 'to throw a £1 coin as a gesture for luck'.