turn on a sixpence meaning

As the throne has changed hands, so, too, have the faces depicted on the obverses of sixpence coins. Then there are groats, which sound like a kind of dysentery, farthings, which are a quarter of a penny and a quarter-farthing which was a sixteenth of a penny. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. For some reason the expression "turn on a sixpence" came into being, meaning that whatever it is can turn in a very small space. Politicians have no loyalty to their causes—they'll turn on a sixpence if it means they'll get more votes. I imagine other stations have their sections for pirouetting taxis too, such as Victoria and Waterloo, but I only really know Euston as that’s where I was shown how taxis turn on a sixpence in the first place. This became the standard turning limit for London taxis. There was a pound (240 pence),  a shilling (12 pence), a florin (4 shillings), crowns ( 5 shillings) and half crowns (2 and a half shillings) etc. Londoners, what does it mean when we are told that a black cab can turn on an item of currency that has been defunct for forty years? 1British A coin worth six old pence (21/2 p), withdrawn in 1980. Sane as sixpence. You can stretch your entire body length out whilst slouched on the seat, which explains why they are so easy to fall asleep in if drunk. 1. The host of the show is learning how to play it and he says "I REALISED THAT ONE OF THE KEYS TO MOTOBALL WAS BEING ABLE TO. Guv’nor. The striker stopped on a sixpence, leaving the defender flailing past her. The fact that the traffic is allowed to drive on the right here is a separate issue; and is partly to do with the ease in dropping theatregoers off to the Savoy Theatre on the right, and partly to do with the fact that Savoy Court is private land, not a public thoroughfare, and is frightfully posh so it can pretty much do what it wants. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Please subscribe or login to access full text content. A sixpence was a small silver coin worth six "old pence" - the equivalent of 2.5 "new pence".

Of course, they couldn’t say it was 19mm in diameter and had to say it was 0.7 inches in the olden days.

Although not licenced and unable to use bus routes, some of these private taxi owners have confessed to parking their cabs in taxi ranks “all day” and “no one noticing”.

Thanks, makes perfect sense! Astonishingly enough, the last horse-drawn hackney carriage was put out of service in London as late as 1947, and before the internal combustion engine was invented, there was a brief spate of electric hackney carriages, which must have been extraordinary to take rides in during rainstorms. In an instant; very quickly, rapidly, or abruptly. Primarily heard in UK. Rather like a huge oil-tanker at sea, it should make broad sweeping turns. Is there anything which can camouflage a Londoner more than driving a black taxi? Primarily heard in UK. The olden days are a time in the past that contain a series of rules relating to weights, measures and currency that are specifically designed to make younger minds boggle. See also: on, sixpence turn on a sixpence 1. Not that it was always deep seats and indulgent leg room of course. It is a convenient, economical and civilised way of transporting all your lovers at once. Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, Band of brothers join forces to campaign for fair treatment; Ex-servicemen set up branch of federation, Let's be thankful for the National Health Service; Get in touch - tell us what you think Email: ecletters@walesonline.co.uk Twitter: @WalesOnline Facebook: facebook.com/WalesOnline Post: Media Wales, 6 Park Street, Cardiff CF10 1XR, I did not mistake winning post: Mills defends her Doncaster ride, Hanagan keeps up pursuit of jockey's title, Money and prices in the late eighteenth century, Political poems for our time; AGENDA & LETTERS, Beach Boys, Lonestar and Heart will play at county fair, six in one, (and) half a dozen in the other, six of one, (and) half a dozen of the other, sizzle a wild card word for words beginning with. The steering is so good on this car that you can turn on a sixpence, even at high speeds. Well known people who have bought London cabs for their own driving entertainment include Kate Moss, Stephen Fry, The Duke of Edinburgh and – somewhat alarmingly – Bez from The Happy Mondays. ... Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase. Primarily heard in UK. A lucky silver sixpence could bring the extra protection you need, as well as helping to make your wishes come true. (c) Copyright Oxford University Press, 2013. Bill Gates turning Microsoft on a sixpence in the mid 1990s to ride its crest. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Bill Gates is making a very sharp turn in the company's direction, is what I think it means (similar to Fatbaby's interpretation). Legally, all London taxis must have this turning circle . 2K views It is important to understand the word properly when we translate it from English to Hindi. Live and learn. For example, if I said that my car can turn on a sixpence I mean that it has a very tight turning circle. All Rights Reserved. All Free. The original Fairway design can run for up to 500,000 miles without a problem and so buying a car that already has 274,000 miles on the clock isn’t as terrifying as it would be in another vehicle. Here Are Our Top English Tips, The Best Articles To Improve Your English Language Usage, The Most Common English Language Questions. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription. ). https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/sixpence.

Another breakthrough in design is the unit's ability to '. There is the stifling closeness of the sweaty leather rear of the front car section, the fact that the driver certainly won’t have a clue how to get anywhere as there is no “knowledge”, the lack of purpose built vehicle, and the fact that when you remove yourself and your top hat from its dastardly insides you need a new pair of kneecaps due to the contortions you had to undergo whilst cramped in the passenger seat. To turn a vehicle round in a tightly restricted area, represented by the US dime and the former English sixpence, The sum of six pence, especially before decimalization (1971). The Victorians gave us growlers (four wheel, enclosed, two horses), hansom cabs and cabriolets (the last two only had two wheels) that could hold four people,  or, in that scene in ‘Madame Bovary’ two people. Source: Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable Author(s): John AytoJohn Ayto, Ian CroftonIan Crofton. For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can''t find the answer there, please contact us. By extension, to change focus, activity, opinion, or behavior very suddenly or abruptly. Primarily heard in UK. JavaScript is disabled. sixpence - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. It is an abhorrent experience. However, Gates seemed to suddenly "get it" and changed direction to fully embrace Internet technology. By extension, to change focus, activity, opinion, or behavior very suddenly or abruptly. At one time you could have fed a family of ten for a week for sixpence (that's a bit exaggerated and caricatured). With agile precision, especially with limited room to maneuver. ( Log Out / 

I can only guess at the meaning of the "Bill Gates" sentence. The phrase is normally used to explain physical movements. ( Log Out /  Yes, I must admit that is quite difficult to understand. Our next update will be on Thursday 9th May.

He's usually a nice guy, but his temper can turn on a sixpence sometimes. Sixpence none the richer turn on sixpence unwilling to pay sixpence Cured. To turn quickly or with agile precision, especially with limited room to maneuver. Used to refer to a manoeuvre that can be performed by a moving vehicle or person within a small area or short distance. Posted by 2 years ago. Any ideas as to what this might mean? Turn on a sixpence or a dime.

There are two places in London where you get to see the turning taxis frequently. There is an AE version, "turn on a dime", which shares Panj's definitions. But still today, with our four door saloon cars, the Public Carriage Office has only licenced 21,000 taxis, in a city of over 8 million people. Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, turn over in one's grave, (enough to make one). This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. So, is the only solution to follow the example of Bez / Moss / Edinburgh, Duke of etc? He's usually a nice guy, but his temper can turn on a sixpence sometimes. A coin worth six old pence (21/2 p), withdrawn in 1980. Just buy one of the things. You can pick up a Fairway in good condition for about £8,000, which is quite economical. I've got a program that deals with a sport called motoball. ‘It can turn on a sixpence and go anywhere: up and down kerbs, across pavements, squeezing between bollards at a gentle walking pace.’ ‘Trained to turn on a sixpence, these elite dancers are at once quick and mercurial, plastic and realistic, then gracefully classical.’ ‘He turns on a sixpence … You might imagine that a corporation the size of Microsoft would take a great deal of time to change. Actually, I can't even guess, thinking about it. Primarily heard in UK. But in order to get into the Savoy in the first place you have to navigate this small roundabout which has a turning point of – you’ve guessed it – 25 feet. Thanks! This explains the capacious insides of the London cab, a space which Marianne Faithfull noted in her memoirs, was quite easy to shoot up in. Theoretically, you should be able to get into a London taxi with your top hat still on. Legally, all London taxis must have this turning circle . These complicated words and meanings meant that you kept the poor from finding out how much they were utterly in life’s toilet bowl, because by the time they’d added together the different coins, calculated their meanings and computed how much they had in their pockets, they would forget where they were and have to start all over again.

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