† lickpennyn.
Obsolete.
One who or that which ‘licks up’ the pennies; something that ‘makes the money go’. Also attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > [noun] > that on which money is expended > something demanding excessive expenditure
lickpenny14..
white elephant1555
white elephant1721
rathole1863
14.. ? Lydg. (title) London Lyckpeny.
1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster Famous Hist. Thomas Wyat sig. E3 Wiat. Sweete musicke, Gallant fellow-Londiners. Clo. Yfaith wee are the Mad-caps, we are the licke-pennies.
a1640 J. Day & H. Chettle Blind-beggar (1659) sig. D2 London lick penny can [sc. call] ye it,—t'as lick'd me with a witness.
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. (1655) xix. 151 Their Religion is a dear and lick-penny religion for such poor Indians.
1694 J. Dryden Love Triumphant i. i. 15 She has two Devils in her Eyes, that last Ogle was a lick-penny.
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well III. ii. 46 Law is a lick-penny, Mr Tyrrel.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1902; most recently modified version published online June 2019).
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