penny in the fusebox
An improvised repair made with no regard for safety.
The fix I made was just a penny in the fusebox; we need to revisit it and fix the problem for real.
penny
/ˈpɛni/
noun 5name 5verb 3
Collocations
5ADJ.
beside, foolish, new, pretty, single, wise
She didn't have a single penny left after paying all her bills.
VERB + PENNY
cannot, costs, count, doesn't, earn, paid, save, saved
He doesn't earn a penny from his volunteer work at the local animal shelter.
PENNY + NOUN
i'll, itself, profit, stocks, street, thoughts
I found a penny on the street this morning while walking to work.
PREP.
from, in, off, than, than, without
She didn't spend a penny on new clothes for over a year.
ADV.
eventually, somewhat
She eventually saved enough pennies to buy herself a new bicycle.
Definitions
noun
1
In the United Kingdom and Ireland and many other countries, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d.
Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen.
We had not proceeded very far across the south cantilever when we saw a penny lying beside the track, and another a short distance further on. We were to find several more pennies, and some half-pennies, before we reached the north shore. Inspector Bell explained that many passengers try to throw a coin into the Forth, for "good luck," while trains are crossing the bridge.
2
In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p.
3
In Ireland, a coin worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.
4
In the US and (formerly) Canada, a one-cent coin, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
Holy shit! A hundred and eleven pennies! At that point, that dog had more Lincoln in him than Mary Todd.
A Treasury spokesperson said the government made its final order of penny blanks this month, and the United States Mint will continue to manufacture pennies only as long as an inventory of penny blanks exists.
5
In various countries, a small-denomination copper or brass coin.
verb
1
To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the doorframe and the door.
Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall.
2
To circumvent the tripping of an electrical circuit breaker by the dangerous practice of inserting a coin in place of a fuse in a fuse socket.
3
During a meal or as part of a drinking game, to drop a penny in a person's drink with the expectation that they finish it (or some such variation thereof); commonly associated with crewdates at Oxford and swaps at Cambridge.
You got pennied! Down it, fresher.
name
1
A diminutive of the female given name Penelope.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
ten a penny
So common as to be practically or almost worthless.
Near-synonyms: not worth a dime; see also Thesaurus:worthless
two a penny
very common; cheap
penny pincher
One who spends little money; one who is very frugal or cautious with money.
Over the years, he developed a reputation as a penny pincher who wouldn't spend money for anything.
in for a penny, in for a pound
Expressing that, having begun something (that involves significant risk or effort), one intends to see it to completion rather than stopping short.
Having tripped the bank's alarms, he simply uttered: "in for a penny, in for a pound", and continued on.
Example Bank
601
Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know tha
Wiktionary02
We had not proceeded very far across the south cantilever when we saw a penny lying beside the track, and another a short distance further on. We were to find several more pennies, and some half-penni
Wiktionary03
However he lost out, as other business interests whom he had alienated by his efforts to squeeze every penny of profit from the canal, supported the construction of the railway.
Wiktionary04
Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall.
Wiktionary05
You got pennied! Down it, fresher.
Wiktionary06
Max Cross cut a fine figure as the Colonel, Percy Penny was a somewhat unducal Duke, while Edgar McHale gave a particularly good rendering of the Major.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, penny is marked as slang, historical. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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