in for a penny, in for a pound
Language: English
Part of speech: proverb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɪn fəɹə ˈpɛ.ni ɪn fəɹə paʊnd/
ipa: /ɪn fɔɹ ə ˈpɛ.ni ɪn fɔɹ ə paʊnd/
Etymology: Originally with reference to the fact that if one owed a penny, one might as well owe a pound (pound sterling, UK currency) as the penalties for non-payment were virtually identical in severity.
Senses: examples: text: Having tripped the bank's alarms, he simply uttered: "in for a penny, in for a pound", and continued on.
text: Well than, O'er shooes, o'er boots. And In for a Penny, in for a Pound. Whee—ho— Toby.
ref: 1695, Edward Ravenscroft, The Canterbury Guests, or, a Bargain Broken a Comedy: Acted at the Theatre-Royal, London: Daniel Brown, John Walthoe, →OCLC, act V, scene i, page 50:
text: “Well, this a pretty go, is this here!—an uncommon pretty go! Here have I been a matter of how many weeks—hard upon six—a-follering up this here blessed old dowager, petty lareenerer […] and Dotheboys Hall a-running itself regularly to seed the while! That's the worst of ever being in with a ow-dacious chap like that old Nickleby; you never know when he's done with you, and if you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound.”
ref: 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 565:
text: Nothing venture, nothing win - / Blood is thick, but water's thin - / In for a penny, in for a pound - / It's love that makes the world go round!
ref: 1882, November 25 (first performance), W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert; Arthur Sullivan, music, […] Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri, London: Chappell & Co., published [1885?], act II, page 36:
text: Under the circumstances it seemed to be a case of ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’. If the Institute’s team were still prepared to accept the challenge, the Administration was willing to do likewise…
ref: 1964, J. F. Holleman, Experiment in Swaziland: report of the Swaziland sample survey, 1960, page 9:
text: …in for a penny, in for a pound: if one undertakes something, it must be carried through at whatever cost.
ref: 1964, Sanki Ichikawa, The Kenkyusha Dictionary of Current English Idioms, page 509:
text: Turning before the mirror, she studied the gown she’d spent much of her savings on in Belle Terre. “Okay, but not great. In for a penny, in for a pound. Soon I have to get a job.”
ref: 2001, B. J. James, A Lady for Lincoln Cade, page 159:
text: I rummaged in my bag for Miss Addie’s keys, turned off the car, and marched purposefully toward the building.
“‘In for a penny, in for a pound’”, I mumbled under my breath as I pushed open the door and headed for the elevator.
ref: 2002, Kathryn Wall, In for a Penny: A Bay Tanner Mystery, page 123:
text: It appears to be a situation where the greenhouse proponents are in for a penny, in for a pound. As long as the myth needs to be kept alive, this is the inescapable conclusion.
ref: 2004, M. Mihkel Mathiesen, Global Warming in a Politically Correct Climate: How Truth Became Controversial, page 133:
glosses: Expressing that, having begun something (that involves significant risk or effort), one intends to see it to completion rather than stopping short.
Synonyms: in for a dime, in for a dollar
in for an inch, in for a mile
Related terms: one may as well hang for a sheep as a lamb
penny wise and pound foolish
pot committed
status quo bias
sunk costs fallacy
throw good money after bad