This won't get the old woman her ninepence

Posted by David FG January 12, 2010 at 18:05In reply to This won't get the old woman her ninepence posted by John Donmall-Hicks on January 12, 2010 at 11:16:

Does anyone know theorigin of the phrase 'this won't get the old woman her ninepence'? My Classics master (Watford Grammar School) used it regularly when moving us on from some idle conversation back into work mode at school in the late 1950s, but I've never heard it used by anyone else.

I'm afraid I can't help much - I have never heard your particular phrase, and have no idea of it's origin, but I have heard one which seems to mean much the same: 'this won't buy the baby a new bonnet'.

DFG