in for a penny, in for a pound



in for a penny, in for a pound

Once involved, one must not stop at half-measures. For example, All right, I'll drive you all the way there-in for a penny, in for a pound. This term originally meant that if one owes a penny one might as well owe a pound, and came into American use without changing the British monetary unit to dollar. [Late 1600s] For a synonym, see hanged for a sheep.
See also: pound

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
LessieLES-eeEnglish
JenniJEN-ee (English), YEN-nee (Finnish)English, Finnish
Vercingetorixwer-keeng-GE-to-reeks (Ancient Roman), vur-sin-JET-ə-riks (English)Ancient Celtic
Kerensa-English (Rare)
Chestirad-Medieval Slavic (Hypothetical)
Zephyrus-Greek Mythology (Latinized)