If you love Language Love, you can help me maintain the website! Thank you :-)

Saturday 11 December 2010

My Two Cents ... II

When I had posted last week's part I, I suddenly realised that "my two cents" is a saying as well. So today's post will rotate around:

"My Two Cents"

What does it mean?

"My two cents" or rather "add my two cents" means that one is expressing his opinion on something.

Where does it come from?

While researching its origins, I came across an article by a fellow writer, Angela Russell, who explained the possible origins of this phrase really well. According to her, the saying originated in Great Britain and has been used since as far back as the 16th century to enter a conversation.

My two cents on this:

I have to admit, I was very surprised to learn that this wasn't an American saying. But then, when I think about it, it makes sense. First of all, if it's really that old, the settlers probably brought it with them. Secondly, it is the Brits who are famous for their humility and courtesy. By devaluing their own opinion like that, they make sure no one loses his face if someone disagrees.

No comments:

Post a Comment