why is the term "penny" used to describe nails?

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why is the term "penny" used to describe nails?

2007-07-13 09:38:50 · 4 answers · asked by blast041 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay

4 answers

Originally it meant the price (in pennies) of A HUNDRED nails.

My source is the Oxford English Dictionary, which says, "in reference to nails, denoting the original price per hundred, as fivepenny nail, tenpenny nail, etc., and later (after the falling of prices) coming to denote the size of the nail."

2007-07-13 10:09:20 · answer #1 · answered by K ; 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋

Do u mean woodworking nails? Presumably because they are cheap to buy and used to be sold for a penny.

2007-07-13 16:43:49 · answer #2 · answered by SKCave 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋

They're small like a penny.

2007-07-13 16:51:10 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋

It's hard to believe that's how much they were :)~

2007-07-13 16:46:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋