worth only a nickel
- idiom
- Archaic
:
no vale nada
- The souvenirs looked cheap and were worth only a nickel to most tourists.
Examples
-
This old watch is worth only a nickel.
-
She realized that the trinket was worth only a nickel at the flea market.
-
After years of neglect, the bike was worth only a nickel.
-
He joked that his advice was worth only a nickel if you asked his boss.
-
He said the book is worth only a nickel!
-
The toys at the store were worth only a nickel, so I didn't buy any.
-
After years of use, that old laptop is worth only a nickel compared to newer models.
Synonyms
12
3.2
Very common and not special or valuable
2
8.1
A very small, unimportant amount
1
7.0
Having little or no value
1
6.2
Of no value or use
1
8.6
Very common and not worth much
1
9.6
Has no value and is useless to anyone
Completely without value or use
Of little or no value
Very common and not worth much
Very common and not worth much
Antonyms
How Valuable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'worth' (value) + 'only' (restrictive/limiting) + 'a nickel' (a small monetary amount), so its meaning 'of very little value' follows directly from the constituents. This literal monetary-evaluation pattern is cross-linguistically common and therefore accessible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Worth only a nickel comes from the simple picture of something so cheap it is worth just a five-cent coin, a nickel. That's why saying something is worth only a nickel means it has 'very little value'.