Informal a cent; penny; trifling amount: esp. in not worth a red cent, not give a red cent, etc.
red cent
red centWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"red cent." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/red-cent>.
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red cent. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/red-cent
red cent
noun
InformalInsignificant value: not worth a red cent.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"red cent." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/red-cent>.
APA Style
red cent. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/red-cent
Noun
(plural red cents)
- (US) A copper penny.
- (US, colloquial) A very small amount of money.
- I wouldn't pay one red cent for a ticket.
Usage notes
- Usually used in the negative.
Origin
Probably from the color of the copper in which the coin was minted.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"red cent." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/red-cent>.
APA Style
red cent. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/red-cent
