/nɒt hæv ˈtuː ˈpɛniz tə ˈɹʌb təˈɡɛðə/
English idiom, informal. To have no money at all.
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How do people use Not have two pennies to rub together
?
Informal and usually said with sympathy or a shrug: “When we got married we didn’t have two pennies to rub together.” It’s always negative, with “not have” or “without”. Americans often swap in nickels or dimes.
Also said not have two nickels to rub together, not have two beans to rub together, without two pennies to rub together
Not have two pennies to rub together
in real sentences
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I don’t have two nickels to rub together.
Tatoeba, sentence by Hybrid, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Not have two pennies to rub together
come from?
English Wiktionary gives no origin. The picture is of someone so poor they can’t even jingle two coins together in their pocket. No dated first use is recorded.
Mistakes learners make with Not have two pennies to rub together
Learners drop the negative and say “I have two pennies to rub together” to mean they’re poor. The phrase only works negatively.
Other English idioms like Not have two pennies to rub together
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?
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