# The Penny drops - origin of saying?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-penny-drops-origin-of-saying/415312>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 12, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-penny-drops-origin-of-saying/415312 "2007-08-12T03:12:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-penny-drops-origin-of-saying/415312/1 "2007-08-12T03:12:39Z")

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It is a bit of British slang I don’t understand the origin of.

It (The Penny’s Dropped) means “Ahh! now I get it/I understand now/what was cloudy is now clear”.

Any guesses as to the origin of this saying?

Regards  
FML

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-penny-drops-origin-of-saying/415312/2 "2007-08-12T03:15:41Z")

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[QUOTE=Full Metal Lotus]  
Any guesses as to the origin of this saying?  
[/QUOTE]

According to “Take Our Word For It”:  
[

> [@](#):
>
> It apparently comes from the operation of various kinds of penny-in-the-slot machines, the most numerous of which sold penny candy and the like, though there were also the ones that showed crude animation (often lewd!). The notion is that once the penny dropped through the machine, you got your candy or animation show. In the figurative sense, the penny dropped means that someone has been told something which takes him a moment to understand. When he does understand, the penny is said to have dropped.

]([Take Our Word For It, page two, Words to the Wise](http://www.takeourword.com/TOW186/page2.html))

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-penny-drops-origin-of-saying/415312/3 "2007-08-12T03:17:13Z")

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Ever put a coin in a gumball machine and it doesn’t go? You jiggle the knob or whack the machine and it drops and you get your merchandise.

Edit: Or what **Q.E.D.** said.

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**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-penny-drops-origin-of-saying/415312/4 "2007-08-12T03:45:57Z")

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Ah… Thank you all!

Ignorance once again wrestled to the ground in speedy, efficient fashion!

Thanks  
FML