red cent en · NOUN
Etymology
Probably from the color of the copper from which the coin was minted. Prior to 1864, a brighter nickel-based cent was used, often called the white cent. It is also possible that the red originally referred to the obverse bearing an Indian head stamp. See Indian Head cent.
Meanings
- (US) A copper penny.
-
(US, colloquial, in the negative) A very small amount of money.
My dad said he wasn't going to pay the bastards ten red cents.
2011, Jann Arden, Falling Backwards: A Memoir, page 158:Day by day for two-and-a-half years, I've seen resources diminishing, disappearing. We're begging, damn near down on our knees, and not getting one red cent.
1989 December 10, John Zeh, quoting Tony Allen, “AIDS Groups' Execs Arrested In D.C.”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 22, page 1:Snorkey. But I ain't got two cents. What's a fellow to do if he hasn't got a red?
1867, Augustin Daly, Under the Gaslight, Act III, Scene 2, page 28:I wouldn't pay one red cent for a ticket.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| red cents | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (9)
fi penni (a very small amount of money in the negative) · pl złamany szeląg (a very small amount of money in the negative) · ja びた一文 (a very small amount of money in the negative) · pl złamany grosz (a very small amount of money in the negative) · nl rooie cent (a very small amount of money in the negative) · da rød øre (a very small amount of money in the negative) · pl grosz (a very small amount of money in the negative) · pt tostão (a very small amount of money in the negative) · fr liard (a very small amount of money in the negative)