In for a penny, in for a pound
Hello, everyone! It’s Jo again here. Isn’t this great, being back in touch again?! Naheed, thanks very much for the yoga instructions. I like the cat stretch; it feels really good for my lower back. I don’t know a lot about yoga, but I like the way all the positions have such evocative names, like downward dog and tree pose – it makes it easy to remember what position you need to (try!) to get your body in. I think you’ll make a great teacher, Naheed. Thanks also for you pictures of Mecca. Do you hope to go on the Hajj one day?
Ana Paula, you poor thing! I hope you get the results you want in your exam. Leila: How much light do you get at this time of year, exactly? Here in the UK at the moment it gets light at about 8 a.m. and dark at about 4.30 p.m. Cris: it’s great to see decorations going up on the other side of the world!
Which reminds me, I must give you the answers to my homework. Well done to all those that tried, and Filippo – you were 99% right!
1)
This glittery decoration is called tinsel. /ˈtɪns(ə)l/
2)
This is a Christmas stocking. We hope Santa will fill it with lots of goodies!
3) 
This is a candle, sometimes called a votive candle.
4)
These shiny round decorations are called baubels. /ˈbɔ:b(ə)lz/
5)
And the lights we put on Christmas trees or in windows are called fairy lights.
Thank you for all your kind wishes about my new home, you are so sweet. Anita: The house is in a little village called Rake, near to the village of West Meon where I used to live. Mei: Yes, all the animals have come too and seem to like it here. Now that the central heating is on they hardly leave home!
Thank you also to those who asked about my God-daughter Sophie. She is two now! Next time I will post some photos from her birthday party – just like the one Amy had for her little munchkin – and tell you all about it.
Next I’m going to write my Christmas cards. Helen, can you send over a glass of your mulled wine? But before I go, Nesrine asked a very good question about something I wrote in my last blog: what does ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ mean? If I put the phrase in the following two contexts, can anyone work it out?
1) I decided to start exercising because I need to get fit. I thought ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ and signed up for a marathon.
2) I baked a cake. Then I said to myself ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’, and iced it and decorated it too.
Until next time,
Jo xx
Comments
Hi, Jo. From the two examples you gave us , it means :since a person take a step to accomplish a part of a task, he should continue , take more steps and do the task perfectly.
Hello Jo. I liked the expression, "in for a penny, in for a pound". I believe it means when you take the chaces and start doing something, it might be better to go the whole way and do it in a perfect way and completely. Best, Hania
Hi again, and the root of the expression goes back to gambling. Am I right?
Hi Jo! Thanks for the names of the decorations. I am looking forward to seeing the photos of Sophie as well. I want to try to work out what ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ means. I think it is something that you say when you have decided to become very involved in an activity, and to put a lot of effort into it. For example: I cleaned the windows in the morning, later I thought ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ and I gave the whole house a spring-clean at the weekend. Best wishes,
Hi Jo Great to hear from you. How have you been with the new house.Do you have do it up a lot? I've been asking around your homework's answer because I wanted to make sure whether I am completely understood the meaning or not.Finally I was ready to write an answer to you I found some of very very clever clogs(possitive way)got the right answer. They are really really genius,Aren't they? by the way,do you have some presents for your pets for Christmas?Have a fantastic day!XX
I was sailing by the BBCLE site and "in for a penny, in for a pound" I decided to try to solve the Jo's tricky question. I suppose this expression is used in difficult situations, where you don't have anything to lose. See you, Toni.
If the punishment is the same, people will commit the offence which brings the greatest profit. The phrase "in for a penny, in for a pound" is very interesting. I surffed the internet and got 2 meanings at least: 1)It is kinds of a proverb that has come to mean that if you start something you may as well finish it, even if you have to devote much more effort than you expected.2)It's an expression of 70's street culture that means that if you participate even slightly in something, you are fully involved in the consequences. Best wishes and Mery X'mas, James.
Oh,hello,Jo,so nice to hear from you again!Thank you so much for your Christmas words,here,in Russia we call tinsel 'dozshdik',means 'light rain',really funny as it looks like frost!And the idiom about penny comes in handy,too - when we want to do something very well we get excited and a bit carried away and finally are ready to pay much more!-All the best for you,hope to see photos of you and your lovely pets.
Hi again Jo! The last item was very difficult to guess and I have to tell you that I even thought of a strange creature. Then I saw these things flashing and I just thought they were lights. LoL Good to hear that your animals like your new house. As for the expression, I think it could stand for " having started to do". Thanks for taking time to read my comment. Cheers!!
Hello there, it's nice to see all your posts. Jo the pictures you posted are beautiful. Are they all shots of your christmas decorations? If they are I must say you're very talented. Nice expression: "in for a penny, in for a pound." I guess all our friends have already given its meaning perfectly. Good bye for now. Have a lovely day.
Hello again, I havent read this blog for ages. I am looking forward to read it again.I am glad to see our old friends.At the moment I'm reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez. Best wishes for all bloggers! Danijel
Nice.This is really good because it enables us to learn and improves our learning and better understanding.
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