a pretty penny
11
7.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
un dineral
- I spent a pretty penny on my new laptop, but it's been worth every cent.
- cost a pretty penny
- worth a pretty penny
- fetch a pretty penny
They can make a a pretty penny selling them on the dark web and people reuse their passwords.
- They can make a a pretty penny selling them on the dark web and people reuse their passwords.
- TMZ pays a pretty penny for those pictures from the flea bar that I didn't go to, by the way, so I didn't see it.
Examples
-
That must have set you back a pretty penny.
-
I mean, we spent a pretty penny for the food, and I don't even know what you paid for the booze.
Fiction book (1999) -
- My watch is worth a pretty penny.
-
And it cost me a pretty penny.
-
But this whole incident already cost us a pretty penny.
-
I guess it's worth a pretty penny.
-
That costs a pretty penny.
-
Paid a pretty penny for that.
-
Now, the master tape is being sold at auction, and it is expected to go for a pretty penny.
Blog text (21) -
A trip to the campus health center or the emergency room can cost a pretty penny, especially if you don't have health insurance.
Blog text (8)
Synonyms
68
2.8
A very large amount of money
61
4.2
A lot of money that someone earns or gets
17
3.3
A large amount of money that is more than you expect
14
5.5
A large amount of money often gained quickly
3
3.7
A fairly large amount of money that is nice to get
A very large amount of money
Antonyms
How Expensive
- Informal
3
7.5
17
3.3
- Informal
11
7.0
∞
1.0
302
2.2
307
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
a + pretty + penny
The word 'penny' clearly signals the monetary domain and 'pretty' can act as an intensifier, so learners can infer the expression relates to money; however the meaning 'a large/surprisingly high amount' is not derivable from the literal smallness of a 'penny' and relies on an idiomatic intensifying use of 'pretty'. Because the domain is transparent but the magnitude and evaluative meaning are not predictable from the parts, this is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The idiom a pretty penny comes from older English, where pretty could mean 'handsome' or 'considerable' and penny stood for money; imagine a coin so bright and attractive that it seems worth a lot. That's why the phrase now means 'a large amount of money'.