Idiom
A penny for your thoughts
A penny for your thoughts is a friendly way of asking someone who seems quiet or lost in thought what they are thinking about.
How people use it
You might say it to a friend staring out the window or a partner who has gone quiet at dinner. It is gentle and a bit old-fashioned, inviting someone to share without pushing. No money changes hands; the penny is just part of the phrase. People often drop the "a" and say "Penny for your thoughts?" In British English it is sometimes shortened even further to "Penny for them?" The tone is warm and informal.
Also said: penny for your thoughts, penny for them.
Examples
- You've been quiet all the way home; a penny for your thoughts?
- Grace smiled at her grandfather and said, "A penny for your thoughts."
- Sam looked up from his book when his wife asked, "Penny for your thoughts?"
Where it comes from
The phrase is old. John Heywood's 1546 collection of proverbs includes "a penny for your thought," and it may be older still. At the time a penny was worth much more than it is today, so the offer was a small but real sum, a polite way of saying that the other person's thoughts were worth paying for.
Check yourself
1. Why might someone say "A penny for your thoughts"?
Answer: To ask what a quiet person is thinking. The phrase gently invites someone to share what is on their mind.
2. When is the phrase most natural?
Answer: When a friend is staring silently out the window. It fits someone who seems lost in thought, not someone who is already talking.
Word game fan? See every word hiding in PENNY.