ninepence

Related to ninepence: shilling

(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) 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) 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
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • (as) neat as ninepence
  • (as) nice as ninepence
  • (as) right as ninepence
  • neat
  • (as) neat as a pin
  • neat as a pin
  • neat as a new pin
  • make (one's) bed (up)
  • make up (one's) bed
  • make up the bed
References in periodicals archive
A pint of beer was ninepence (4p) and the average house price was pounds 1,751.
AUSTERITY OLYMPICS
Fourpence is charged for a motor cycle or motor cycle combination for a period of four hours, but if a severely disabled ex-Serviceman desires to park his motorised tricycle he is charged ninepence for the same period.
Parking charges are unfair on wounded; LETTER FROM THE PAST
"What about as right as ninepence? Where does that come from?" he said.
Let me phrase this another way ..
BEN: Well, if you like that better, you have only got to tuck your legs under you, and you'll swing off as nice as ninepence
The String of Pearls, or The Fiend of Fleet Street (p. 29-53)
And everyone now cherishes common ninepence! (2) Ogun owo maraye, aye figbe ta!
Lanrewaju Adepoju and the making of modern Yoruba poetry
Scott, '"The billy cart" from "Come night, come ninepence"', School Magazine, 1 October 1948, p.
The march to nation: citizenship, education, and the Australian way of life in New South Wales, Australia, 1940s-1960s
The new and first Vice-Chancellor, Dr Priestley, provided the Browsing Library with every issue of Penguin and Pelican books as they arrived from England in increasing numbers and sold in Australia for ninepence each.
A circle of learning: personal memories
By 1832 Queen Mab could be had for ninepence and a complete Don Juan for five shillings.
The Reading Nation in the Romantic Period
I have no idea, but the fact was, it was as right as ninepence, as confirmed by a clock expert who checked it out and cleaned it for us so that we could have it running without fear of damage to its movement.
antiques: Time is still right for this vintage clock; Christopher Proud love cherishes the practical beauty of timepieces now ticking away in their fourth century
Expanding on this notion, when "Nine" is included (with a capital "N") and by pooling together all derivatives of "nine" within Ulysses (e.g., "nineteen," "ninetynine," "ninefooter," "ninepence," and so forth), those taking time to indulge in such matters will find that these words appear fifty-four times: 5 + 4 = 9.
James Joyce "U.p." at bat: baseball symbolism in Ulysses' "Nausicaa"
They sold them to you at ninepence for 13 copies - your profit was 4d.
How your ECHO hit the streets in 1920s
Encourage Next came sugar, at 12oz per person, then meat, with everyone entitled to ninepence worth of meat a week.
Time to be rational; A HEALTHY HOMEFRONT Lose weight and feel great on your gran's low-fat wartime diet
Unfortunately, the sum of one shilling and ninepence remains unaccounted for in one infantry battalion's petty cash, and there has been a hideous confusion as to the number of jars of raspberry jam issued to one cavalry regiment during a sandstorm in western Spain.
Battling the bureaucracy
He hardly deserved the final indignity, when a local publican put his broken body and parachute on show in his bar at ninepence a look.
Monsieur Garnerin drops in: John Lucas extols the pioneers who helped develop the parachute, two centuries ago. (Cross Current)
"All levels of society were catered for, and this was reflected in the admission prices - boxes for four at 10/6d (52p), stalls one shilling (5p), circle ninepence (4p), the pit sixpence (2p) and gallery thruppence (1p).
memories xtra: The CAINE gang