Penny wise and pound foolish

Suggest a Correction

Meaning

Careful over small savings while wasteful or imprudent about much larger costs. Hyphenation varies. It can criticise any small saving that creates disproportionate cost or risk. Regional use: British, with early Scottish and English records; now international English.

Origin

A Scottish manuscript dated before about 1598 has 'Pennie wyse pund fool'. Francis Meres's 1598 English version of The sinners guyde prints the exact penny wise and pound foolish form and calls it an existing saying; Edward Topsell supplies a detailed false-economy example in his 1607 Historie of Foure-footed Beastes. Penny and pound contrast small and large sums, but the warning readily extends beyond money to misplaced attention and short-sighted economy.

Research Sources

  1. PENNY-WISE and pound-foolish Tilley's Proverbs
  2. The sinners guyde University of Michigan Library Digital Collections, Early English Books Online
  3. The historie of foure-footed beastes University of Michigan Library Digital Collections, Early English Books Online

Variants

  • Penny wise, pound foolish
  • Pennie wise and pound foolish

Usage Examples

  • Buying the cheapest seals every month is penny wise and pound foolish.
  • The council was penny-wise and pound-foolish when it cancelled routine bridge inspections.
  • Do not be penny wise and pound foolish by saving on backups and risking the archive.

Keep Exploring

Browse all phrases