ninepence


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Related to ninepence: shilling

(as) nice as ninepence

Very tidy, neat, and well-organized; in good order. After my kids made me breakfast in bed, I expected the kitchen to be a mess. But was I ever surprised to find the whole place as nice as ninepence when I came downstairs! James is so meticulous with his office, always keeping it nice as ninepence.
See also: nice, ninepence

(as) neat as ninepence

Very tidy, neat, and well-organized; in good order. After my kids made me breakfast in bed, I expected the kitchen to be a mess. But was I ever surprised to find the whole place as neat as ninepence when I came downstairs! James is so meticulous with his office, always keeping it neat as ninepence.
See also: neat, ninepence

(as) right as ninepence

Very tidy, neat, and well-organized; in good order. After my kids made me breakfast in bed, I expected the kitchen to be a mess. But was I ever surprised to find the whole place as right as ninepence when I came downstairs! James is so meticulous with his office, always keeping it right as ninepence.
See also: ninepence, right

no more than ninepence in the shilling

obsolete Having no or little intelligence or common sense. Primarily heard in UK. The fool, who is no more than ninepence in the shilling, took the natives' aggressive overtures as being an enthusiastic greeting to the colonists.
See also: more, ninepence, no, shilling

no more than ninepence in the shilling

of low intelligence. dated
Since the decimalization of the British coinage, this phrase has gradually fallen out of use, but there are numerous other humorous variations on the theme of someone not possessing their proper share of brains or intelligence, for example a sandwich short of a picnic (see sandwich).
See also: more, ninepence, no, shilling
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Troops in the UK could also find plenty of places to spend their one and ninepence per day extra ration allowance.
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Early colonial prices were illustrated by the fact that ninepence would buy a quarter of venison.
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And the cost of each tattie loaf was sixpence compared with the subsidised price of 'normal' bread which at that time was ninepence.
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After his first week of work as an apprentice builder in 1955, he went straight home and gave his mum Margaret his wages - two pounds, 15 shillings and ninepence.
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Dormanstown's cinema charged sixpence for a bench and ninepence for a seat.
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The cost to each household was the old one shilling and ninepence, so when the man first came to collect the weekly rental, he was immediately christened Dick One and Nine.
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It was a confidence killer but John Thaw was terrific about it and the next day I came back and I was right as ninepence.
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had the '70s perm thinning He was a proper old-school barber who would charge you your ninepence and then ask if you wanted 'something for the weekend'.
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During the Hungry Thirties there was a similar thriving trade here - entrepreneurs paid ninepence a pound for dog ends (unfiltered), then made full-sized fags, five for a penny.
They could get all the alien atmosphere, danger and menace they need in our city centre on a Friday night
The selling price of Indian Views, ninepence in 1949, was more than twice that of Indian Opinion (fourpence) making its cost prohibitive for most Indians (Hellman 1949: 506).
The diaspora at home: Indian Views and the making of Zuleikha Mayat's public voice
The next day we did the same sort of bet and collected 15 shillings and ninepence each.
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Ninepence would buy a packet of coloured strips, which the little ones used to make paper chains.
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James the Great - had made a special grant of one and ninepence to the embryonic cricket club.
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Sometimes they would row but other times they got on as right as ninepence.
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Then, come 6am the next day, he steps out of the hotel lift, right as ninepence.
Revealed: the key to Ozzy's lost gig
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