[Idiom] lost a quid and found a fiver

[maral55]

Hi
what does this phrase mean?

to lost a quid and found a fiver.

thanks.

 

[new2grammar]

Hi
what does this phrase mean?

to lost a quid and found a fiver.

thanks.

Not a teacher

It means that you have lost something, but have found something better to replace what you lost. In the old days a pound was worth quite a bit, and you would be devastated if you lost it, but to then find five pounds, which in some cases was more than a weeks wages, would have been an absolute stroke of good luck.

 

[Kondorosi]

Hi
what does this phrase mean?

to lost a quid and found a fiver.

thanks.

quid = 1 pound
fiver = 5 pounds

I think you can figure out the rest yourself.

 

[maral55]

thanks

is it used just for speaking about money or it can be used about other things?

 

[Searching for language]

You could perhaps use it in this way: "John, you can't imagine what luck I had today. I thought that I was getting a good deal on my neighbour's used car, but he sold it to someone else. Then, my other neighbour decided that his Mercedes was just too old for him, and he wanted to get rid of it fast.............. it was just like losing a quid and finding a fiver!"

I am not a teacher.

 

[bhaisahab]

You could perhaps use it in this way: "John, you can't imagine what luck I had today. I thought that I was getting a good deal on my neighbour's used car, but he sold it to someone else. Then, my other neighbour decided that his Mercedes was just too old for him, and he wanted to get rid of it fast.............. it was just like losing a quid and finding a fiver!"

I am not a teacher.

I love that explanation.

 

[Searching for language]

Thanks................I had never heard of the expression, but like it.:-D

 

[bhaisahab]

Thanks................I had never heard of the expression, but like it.:-D

Being very old, I had always heard it as "lost a tanner (sixpence) and found a shilling", but it is the same principal.

 

[Searching for language]

Being very old, I had always heard it as "lost a tanner (sixpence) and found a shilling", but it is the same principal.

And, that of course, should be principle!

 

[maral55]

thank you.

I searched for this Idiom on the net but couldn't find anything.

 

[bhaisahab]

And, that of course, should be principle!

Yes, it should. There is also a negative version of "lost a tanner and found a shilling", "You look like you've lost a shilling and found a tanner".