not worth a..., phr. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

not worth a... phr.

in addition to the most popular combs. listed separately below, there are a number of terms listed at the relevant n. (e.g. not worth a bumper under bumper n.⁴), plus a number of less common phrs. are listed below here, all meaning worthless, useless (and occas. used without ‘not’ to mean the same thing), e.g. that’s worth a whoop in hell; see also the adv. phrs. listed at worth a... phr.; examples are listed alphabetically rather than by date and the dating for these combinations can be anything from mid-16C to 1990s+.

In phrases

...a bean

1575-83

‘Bashe Libel’ in May & Bryson Verse Libel 76: But will you know what Bashe I mean? / (Or else wear not worth a beane).

...a button

1590		‘Martin Marprelate’ Cuthbert Curry-Knaues Alms E: Ale is not worth a button, if it be too stale.
1799		‘To the Reverend T— T— ’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 552: I would not value a’ your gear / An eyeless button.

...a cuntful of cold water (also ...a cupful of cold water)

1904		Eve. News (Sydney) 19 Nov. 10/5: ‘The ingineer an’ inspector soon finds ’e ain’t worth a cup full of cold water, but they couldn’t shift ’im anyhow’.
1926		Truth (Perth) 28 Nov. 3/1: Myra Haut is costing her connections a big wad of money. Millie Huon never was, and never will be, worth a cup full of cold water.
1931		Truth (Sydney) 2 Aug. 2/8: They tried to make a middle distance performer of him. Now he doesn’t appear to be worth more than a cup full of cold water.
1944		L. Glassop We Were the Rats 129: Their artillery was pretty good, but their infantry wasn’t worth a ---- full of cold water.
1953		S.J. Baker Aus. Speaks 176: not worth a ---- full of cold water, worthless.
1959		S.J. Baker Drum 130: not worth a cupful of cold water: Worthless. The word ‘cupful’ is usually replaced by a vulgarism.
1965		Dutch Aus. Wkly (Sydney) 4 June 7/5: If there is trouble [...] they are there as long as they think you are not a flaming no-hoper not worth a cup full of cold water.
1982		Canberra Times (ACT) 26 July 1/4: The unions’ offer had not been worth ‘a cup of cold water’.
2012		The Blokey Shed 23 Sept. 🌐 Classic lines [...] Not worth a cunt full of cold water.

...a cracker

1942		G. Casey It’s Harder for Girls 126: ‘He’s got guts, anyway,’ said Sayers. ‘I didn’t think he was worth a cracker.’.
1953		T.A.G. Hungerford Riverslake 221: Any man without some sort of loyalty to whoever pays his wages isn’t worth a cracker.

...a dodkin (also ...dotkin)

1594

Lyly Mother Bombie II ii: Without Halfpenie all my wit is not woorth a dodkin.

...a farthing

1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c. 101: What cudgel me for a Radish or two which are not worth a Farthing.
1782		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Lyric Odes’ Works (1794) I 42: Painted by Mister Edward Penny! They truly are not worth one half a farthing.

...a Flanders pin

c.1550

R. Wever Lusty Juventus Biiii: By the masse if I had not byn, Thou hadst not ben worth a Flaunders pyn.

...a fly

c.1525		J. Rastell Gentleness and Nobility line 210: That ye have made therof, be not worth a fly.
1592		T. Stanhope ‘To Master John Markham’ in May & Bryson Verse Libel 100: Farewell scabbed crooke-back, not worthie a flye.
1656		R. Fletcher ‘Upon a Flye that Flew into a Lady’s Eye’ Epigrams and Poems 186: Hence we cry, The world, the world’s not worth a Fly.

...fudge

1836

‘The Blue Devils Now’ in New Cockalorum Songster in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks II 14: She said I am starving and not worth a fudge.

...a gnat

1575

‘Mr. S’ Gammer Gurton’s Needle V ii: All is not worth a gnat, thou canst swear till to-morrow.

...a hang

1911		C.E. Mulford Bar-20 Days 92: Told you it was a sieve [...] Not worth a hang for anything.
1920		G. Meek Chips Off the Old Stumbling Blocks 24: Early to bed and early to rise, ain’t worth a hang.

...hatful of crabs [the crustacean but cite 1850 suggests crab apples]

1850

‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 13 Oct. 4/3: Westow arnt wurth ‘a hatful of crabs’ (apples I spose he means).

...a hoot

1952

(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 85: No she didn’t. Nothin worth a hoot, anyway.

...a leek (also ...two leeks)

1522		Skelton Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? line 286: What here ye of the lord Rose? Nothynge to purpose Nat worth a cockly fose! [i.e. wrinkled leek].
1523		Skelton Colyn Cloute (1550) Aiiii: They make her [i.e. a horse] winche and kicke But it is not worthe a leeke.
1540		D. Lyndsay Satyre of Thrie Estaits (1604) 19: Princis [...] ar nocht worth ane leik.

...a mag

1842		Comic Almanack Aug. 324: It’s a science; methinks – tho’ La Fontaine may brag, / That, in language of slang, sir, is not worth a mag.
1853		Dickens Bleak House (1991) 735: If he don’t keep such a business as the present as close as possible it can’t be worth a mag to him.

...a make

1676

A Newgate ex-prisoner A Warning for House-Keepers 5: But if the cully naps us / and the Lurres from us take / O then they rub us to the Whitt / And it is hardly worth a Make.

...an oyster

c.1386

Chaucer General Prologue to Canterbury Tales line 182: But thilke text held he nat worth an oistre.

...a pound of piss

1966

H.S. Thompson Hell’s Angels (1967) 239: Beatniks! [...] Not worth a pound of piss.

...a plum (also ...two plums)

1522		Skelton Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? line 603: Ye horsons [...] ye churles sonnys, Ye rebawds, nat worth two plummis!
c.1790		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘More Money’ Works (1794) III 159: The conversation! – Lord! not worth a plum!

...a preen

1540		D. Lyndsay Satyre of Three Estaits (1604) 6: My purchais is nocht worth ane preine.
1785		Burns To W. Simpson in Works (1842) 36/1: My memory’s no worth a preen.
1887		R.L. Stevenson ‘The Scotsman’s Return’ in Underwoods (1906) 122: A bletherin’ clan, no warth a preen, As bad as Smith o’ Aiberdeen!

...a rush (also ...a bulrush)

1593		M. Drayton Nymphal II in Chalmers IV (1810) 449/2: His sparrows are not worth a rush.
1611		L. Barry Ram-Alley V i: If the best part of a man is gone, The rest of the body is not worth a rush.
1620		J. Taylor ‘Praise of Hemp-Seed’ in Works (1869) III 65: The Vintners trade were hardly worth a rush.
1637		N. Whiting Albino and Bellama 103: The Sybils virgine is not worth a rush hob.
1689		R. L’Estrange Erasmus Colloquies 167: All your Priviledges are not worth a Rush.
1838		Dickens Oliver Twist (1867) 115: But don’t move a step forward, or your life’s not worth a bulrush!
1866		Amer. Presbyterian Review Oct. 533: Repentance for an hour, or a day, is not worth a bulrush.

...a snap (of one’s fingers)

1864		A.F. Hill Our Boys 235: In six months your government at Washington will go smash, and your green trash won’t be worth a snap.
1888		W.B. Churchward Blackbirding In The South Pacific 95: The fishing is not worth a snap.
1912		D. Lowrie My Life in Prison 203: My life won’t be worth a snap of your fingers if I stay here.

... a snuff

1867

Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 7 Sept. n.p.: Mrs Griffin’s testimony isn’t worth a ‘snuff’.

...a tinker’s cuss/damn

1957		R. Service ‘Aspiration’ in Cosmic Carols (1965) 470: This wealth of thirty million cells or so, / Will not be worth a lousy tinker’s cuss.
1976		P. Conroy Great Santini (1977) 309: Jim Don, you ain’t worth a tinker’s damn.

...a walnut shell

1619

Rowlands Well met Gossip B: Thy iudgement is not worth a Walnut-shell.

...a whoop (in hell) (also ...two whoops in Hades)

1908		K. McGaffey Sorrows of a Show Girl Ch. ix: This Beatrice Fairfax dope may be all right in the simple country maiden, but it don’t go in the show business worth a whoop.
1912		D. Runyon ‘Ballad of Big George’ 16 May [synd. col.] His diamonds, dough, an’ such, / Ain’t worth two whoops in Hades.
1916		P. Kyne Cappy Ricks 20: A young fellow that appears to be worth a whoop in hell.
1944		C.B. Davis Rebellion of Leo McGuire (1953) 239: It was either said or implied that any other sort [...] wasn’t worth a whoop in hell.

...shucks

1856

M. Griffith Autobiog. of a Female Slave 349: You ain’t worth shucks.

...three skips of a louse

[1699		Swift ‘Mrs. Harris’s Petition’ in Chalmers Eng. Poets XI (1810) 373/1: ’Tis not that I value the money three skips of a louse].
1958		(con. mid-19C) E.D. Spencer Gold Country 95: Although there are good things come up from Old Taos, / Its whiskey ain’t worth three skips of a louse.
1978		(con. c.1700) J.I. Cooper Ontario’s First Century 102: Secure in such powerful backing, Nixon could afford to declare that it was ‘not worth three skips of a louse’ for him to curry favour with his subordinates.