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Glite Dictionary
not a farthing

not a farthing

9.9
No money at all
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : ni un centavo
  • Despite her hard work, she received not a farthing for her efforts.

Examples

  • After the long dispute, the plaintiff was awarded not a farthing in damages.

  • I will pay you not a farthing more for this.

  • He claimed he didn't owe not a farthing to anyone in the company.

  • He doesn't have not a farthing to his name!

  • After the long dispute, the plaintiff was awarded not a farthing in damages.

  • Despite her hard work, she received not a farthing for her efforts.

  • I will pay you not a farthing more for this.

Synonyms

nothing
vsnot a farthing
17 1.0

No thing present in a place or situation

is the idiomatic phrase expressing the same total absence
diddley
vsnot a farthing
  • Informal
7 9.9

A very small amount, almost nothing

conveys absolute absence rather than a casual small amount
farthing
vsnot a farthing
  • Archaic
5 9.9

A British coin from the past worth a quarter of a penny, also meaning a very small amount

uses the small coin idea to deny that any amount exists
diddly-squat
vsnot a farthing
  • Informal
3 9.9

Nothing at all

expresses the same absence but without that informal slang tone
not an ounce of
vsnot a farthing
  • Informal
3 4.9

There is not even a tiny bit of something

uses the same idea but in a shorter idiomatic form
not much of anything
vsnot a farthing
2 4.3

Almost nothing of value

denies any amount entirely rather than implying a tiny amount
nowt
vsnot a farthing
  • UK
1 9.9

Not anything at all

is the same idea but in neutral, nonregional wording
not worth a brass farthing
vsnot a farthing
  • Archaic
9.9

Completely without value or use

focuses on lacking any amount rather than just lacking monetary worth
brass farthing
vsnot a farthing
  • Archaic
9.9

A very small amount of money that is worth almost nothing

is the emphatic negation of even a tiny monetary amount
doit
vsnot a farthing
  • Archaic
9.9

A very small amount of money used to say something is not worth much

denies every amount entirely not merely labels something as trivial

Antonyms

something
∞ 1.0

An unknown object or idea that is not named

a lot
∞ 1.0

To a very great degree

How Much

a lot
∞ 1.0
some
∞ 1.0
a little
∞ 1.0
not a farthing
  • Archaic
9.9

Surface Forms

not a farthing main

Morphology

not + a + farthing

The meaning 'not even a small amount' is directly and compositionally derived from 'not' (negation) + 'a' (indefinite article) + 'farthing' (a very small coin), so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer that there is none of even that tiny amount. This negation + small-amount noun pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g. 'not a penny') and follows regular English composition, making the expression transparent despite 'farthing' being somewhat archaic.

Etymology

The phrase not a farthing comes from old money: a farthing was a very small, old coin, so saying someone had not a farthing gives the clear picture of having no money at all. That's why the phrase now means 'not even a small amount' or 'nothing at all'.