“Here’s my two cents” in the sense of airing an unsolicited opinion dates only to the mid-1920s, and likely began in the U.S.
fame wherein the widow donated two mites to the temple, yet, by doing so, gave all she had, in contrast with far more prosperous donors who proffered only a small portion of their wealth. The use of “two cent” and “twopenny” as dismissive modifiers indicating items under discussion are of incredibly small value, rather than are priced that actual amount, dates to 1560 .
“Here’s my two cents” in the sense of airing an unsolicited opinion dates only to the mid-1920s, and likely began in the U.S. It appears to be an extension of the usage noted above, in that the “two cents” is employed as a way of saying “Here’s my little bit of nothing.” As to how this particular idiom came to be, no one knows. Some have guessed that since, at one time, it cost two cents to mail a letter, one incurred an actual cost of two cents to give someone advice or let them know your opinion. Others have postulated that the ante in a poker game was two cents, therefore one would “ante in” by throwing in one’s metaphorical two cents. While the gambling explanation is attractive, nothing supports it. But why do we say, “Here’s my two cents on the matter” instead of “Here’s what I think”? Why do we need to couch such an addition to a conversation in linguistic smoke? We do so in an effort to lessen the impact of a social trespass. By identifying one’s take on a matter as being worth no more than a pittance, some of the social crime of butting in unasked is undone — the analysis or advice is offered in a self-deprecatory “Well, this likely isn’t worth all that much, but here it is anyway” fashion. The one who couldn’t keep his thoughts to himself, while still inserting himself presumptuously into something that wasn’t his business, is at least being humble about it.London: Taylor & Francis, 1977. ISBN 0-415-05916-X .Recent UpdatesThis article was updated on June 1, 2013.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bitcoin miner Hut 8 reports $69 million second-quarter net lossThe Canada-based company grew its hash rate by 9.5% to 2.78 exahash per second (EH/s) by the end of the second quarter.
Read more »
Lights, color, quatrefoils and other design tricks make River Walk condo seem larger than its 1,100 square feetAlyssa and Tessa Hendrie bought a two-bedroom, two-bath condominium and transformed it into their “love letter” to the city.
Read more »
Diamondbacks explode for 7 runs in 7th inning for comeback win over PiratesEmmanuel Rivera delivered the day's clutch hit, a one-out, two-run double down past third base to drive in two runs and help the D-Backs top the Pirates.
Read more »
USPS planning temporary price hike ahead of upcoming holiday seasonThe price increases could range from as low as 25 cents to as high as $6.50
Read more »
Four takeaways: Depth isn’t there but plenty of positives for JaguarsIt'll go down as a loss, but the Jaguars shined when it mattered against the Browns on Friday night. Here are Four Takeaways from the home preseason opener.
Read more »