Do You Feel Lucky?

(and feel free to comment! My older posts are certainly no less relevant to the burning concerns of the day.)

Monday, August 16, 2010

A Penny For Your Two Cents

The saying "to put one's two cents in" dates from olden times, when a penny was a slightly more considerable amount of money. Still not a major sum, of course! But enough to consider. In those days, there was a custom whereby one might literally offer a penny, to hear someone else's thoughts on a matter. So that was when you wanted to hear somebody else's thoughts. That's where the saying "a penny for your thoughts" came from.

But folk then were much more reticent than we are now, to offer their opinion without being asked. It was considered forward to do so - especially if the person wanting to volunteer their opinion wasn't particularly an elder or leader in the community. So if you wanted to chime in/butt in/voice your unsolicited opinion, the custom was flipped: you'd offer to pay a "toll" as it were. To speak your say. Rather than receive a penny for an asked opinion, you would offer to pay two pennies for the privilege of delivering your unasked one. Your "two cents."

Of course it's likely that the custom was never that strictly observed - it was more a matter of etiquette and formality; besides which it's all a complete fabrication that I just made up off the top of my head as I was typing it out.

That's my "two cents."

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