When you’re at the register, two cents doesn’t go very far. Penny candy used to be a hot item at the general store, but good luck finding anything today for such a low price. When it comes to opinions, though, giving your two cents could mean you have a lot to say. We’d like to add our own two cents to the conversation and examine how the phrase was coined.
The truth is there’s no clear origin story, but there are a number of possible examples. One relates to the Bible, specifically the Widow’s Offering, a parable that appears in the Books of Mark and Luke. In the story, a poor widow places two small coins into an offering box, which Jesus finds to be more meaningful than any of the vast sums donated by wealthier folks. While richer people gave fragments of their fortunes, the widow gave every cent she had. Thus, the phrase may have been derived from the idea of giving your two cents to help if that’s all you can do.
The phrase also may come from the Twopenny Post, an early 19th-century British mail service. In 1801, Parliament passed a law increasing the cost of letter delivery from a single pence to two pence. So, if you wanted to send a letter expressing your thoughts to someone, you’d have to pony up two pence — or give your two cents.
The term has since evolved from giving or spending literal money to a metaphorical usage of giving an opinion, sometimes when it’s not needed or asked for. “Two cents’ worth” is another form of the idiom, meaning “an opinion offered on a topic under discussion.”
These are just two examples we found of many purported origin stories behind the phrase “two cents.” If you know of other linguistic backstories, message us to give us your own two cents.
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