red cent

Meaning

  1. (US) A copper penny.
  2. (US, colloquial) A very small amount of money.

Synonyms

Etymology

Probably from the color of the copper from which the coin was minted. Prior to 1864, a brighter nickel-based cent was used, often called the white cent. It is also possible that the red originally referred to the obverse bearing an Indian head stamp. See Indian Head cent.

Notes

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