1 edit
"That is my two cents"
I am sure most people have come accross this (mostly american) expression - used when somebody is putting a point accross.
The question is - where did it come from? Are there some sort of organised debates held in america where you have to pay in order to put a point accross? I guess it would explain why it is only possible to become president if you are a millionaire...
Originally posted by SeitseIt was around loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong before the Simpsons, but I don't know how it originated either. I'm still trying to figure out where "pushing the envelope" came from.
My two cents: The inventor of that expression is Ken Brockman, the fictional character from The Simpsons.
Edit. Not so sure, so make it just one cent, ok?
Originally posted by TyrannosauruschexSurely you've heard another american expression, "opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one."
"That is my two cents"
I am sure most people have come accross this (mostly american) expression - used when somebody is putting a point accross.
The question is - where did it come from? Are there some sort of organised debates held in america where you have to pay in order to put a point accross? I guess it would explain why it is only possible to become president if you are a millionaire...
By saying "That's my two cents", we acknowledge that our opinion is actually not worth all that much, perhaps only two cents.
Originally posted by MontyMooseOH!!! That makes sense then! Thanks! I kept envisioning people in a board room pushing this white legal-sized envelope back and forth at each other.
Envelope here is not the kind you mail a letter in, but a math term. The expression probably came from airplane test pilots seeing just how much their machines could take.
1 edit
Originally posted by MontyMoose"two tuppence" is redundant.
From the British slang, "my two tuppence". It implies that what you are about to say next (if I can put my 2 cents worth in here...) is just your opinion and may not be worth much, ie 2 cents.
tuppence = two pence
But you are right. That's where it came from. It is also related to the "Penny for your thoughts" idiom.
Originally posted by pawnhandlerMM is right. I believe the term is derived from aviation. The envelope being the parameters that the aircraft safely operates in. Such as stall speeds, spin rates, flap settings, VNE (velocity never exceed) and such. The envelope dictates what the aircraft can sustain structurally and aerobatically. Thus "pushing the envelope" is taking the aircraft to the edges of its performance capabilities.
It was around loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong before the Simpsons, but I don't know how it originated either. I'm still trying to figure out where "pushing the envelope" came from.
Why use envelope as the term? Dunno, aviation has a lot of odd terminology.
And that's my tuppence.