Expanding Lexicon

Expanding Lexicon

Episode 9

Back Like a Bad Penny

05-15-19

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Welcome to Expanding Lexicon the story behind the things we say. Today’s episode is about a proverb.

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What is today’s topic? Back like a bad penny or a bad penny always turns up. The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs defines the proverb as referring to “the predictable and usually unwelcome, return of a disreputable or tiresome persona after a period of absence (Speake)” or the “recurrence of any unwanted event (Martin).” Example: your estranged cousin only shows up when he needs money, I bet he’ll be at the funeral tomorrow, back like a bad penny.

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This proverb as we use it most likely originated in the Middle Ages. But can take the symbolism back as far as the ancient Greeks who had a proverb referencing “a very bad stamp” a metaphor for their monetary system (Martin). The earliest published use of this proverb was in the late 14th century in William Langland’s poem Piers Plowman. “Men may lykne letterid men... to a badde peny (Martin). The origin of the medieval sentiment is in reference to forged or modified pennies.

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When a penny had actual value it was common that an individual would encounter a coin that had been shaved or cut down or that had been poorly stamped (British Museum). The penny might also be a complete forgery of a metal with similar appearance but no value (Whitehead). If one of these counterfeit or bad pennies ended up being in your possession you could, throw it away or surrender it to the bank losing its value. Or you could try to spend it and hope whomever you were paying didn’t notice. They would in turn give it away as quickly as they could. In this way bad pennies circulated much more regularly then good coins and the possibility of a bad penny coming back to your purse was quite possible (Whitehead). 

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One of the earliest published examples of the proverb being used to reference something other than a coin was in 1766 in the Adams Family Correspondence “like a bad penny it returned, to me again” (Speake). The proverb was used in much the same way as it is used today as early as the 19th century an example can be found in Fenton Family III, where R.H. Thorpe writes, “just like as not he’ll be coming back one of these days, when he’s least wanted. A bad penny is sure to return” (Speake). 

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One of the most memorable uses for this proverb in modern pop culture comes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the one with Shaun Connery, when Indy shows up in Elsa’s bar

Elsa Schneider: I never expected to see you again.

Indiana Jones: I'm like a bad penny. I always turn up (Wikiquote).

 

I hope you enjoyed today’s topic. Please follow the show on Instagram at expanding lexicon. The show is posted on google podcasts and Spotify, please subscribe! Check the website for the show notes and bibliography at www.expandinglexicon.wixsite.com/podcast. Feel free to leave comments, stories, or episode suggestions or just say hi.

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I’ll be here again next week, back like a bad penny

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“Fakes and Forgeries.” British Museum - Fakes and Forgeries, www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/money/fakes_and_forgeries.aspx.

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Langosta39Langosta39 33113, and KellyKelly 111. “Old Timers Referring to a ‘Bad Penny.’” English Language & Usage Stack Exchange, english.stackexchange.com/questions/212498/old-timers-referring-to-a-bad-penny.

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Martin, Gary. “'A Bad Penny Always Turns up' - the Meaning and Origin of This Phrase.”

Phrasefinder, www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a-bad-penny-always-turns-up.html.

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purple-fusion. “Where Does the Term Bad Penny Come from?” Yahoo! Answers, Yahoo!, answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070106135345AAZ7MfG.

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Speake, Jennifer, and J. A. Simpson. Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. Oxford University Press, 2015.

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Wikiquote, Bad Penny

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Whitehead, Brian https://www.quora.com/Where-does-the-phrase-like-a-bad-penny-come-from