Idiom
Brownie points
Brownie points are imaginary credit you earn by doing something that pleases another person, especially someone in charge.
How people use it
People talk about earning, scoring or winning brownie points, usually with a boss, teacher, partner or parent: Offering to drive Grandma to the airport earned me serious brownie points. It is informal and often lightly teasing, since it can suggest someone is doing nice things mainly to look good. The points are not real and cannot be counted. Some writers capitalize Brownie, but lowercase brownie points is now common. It has nothing to do with baking brownies, though jokes about that are common.
Also said: earn brownie points.
Examples
- Leo washed the dishes without being asked, hoping to earn brownie points before asking for the car.
- Bringing coffee for the whole team scored Priya some brownie points with the new manager.
- Turning in the report a day early won't hurt your brownie points.
Where it comes from
The phrase was in print in the United States by the 1950s, and its origin is uncertain. A popular explanation links it to the Brownies, the youngest group in the Girl Scouts and Girl Guides, who earn badges for good deeds, but there is no clear record that they used points. Another theory points to brownies as a nickname for demerit marks on some American railroads in the late 1800s. Neither story is proven.
Check yourself
1. If you get brownie points with your teacher, what have you gained?
Answer: Approval or goodwill. Brownie points are imaginary credit for pleasing someone, not real points or food.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Fixing the printer earned Omar brownie points with the office manager.. Brownie points are earned by pleasing someone, like fixing a printer for a manager.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in BROWNIE.