# penny-come-quick

idiom · Slang

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/penny-come-quick
Updated: 2026-06-07

## Meaning

a trick

## Examples

- He lost his money to a penny-come-quick.
- The salesman promised huge returns, but it was just a penny-come-quick to steal our savings.
- The desperate investor fell for the elaborate penny-come-quick, failing to realize that the promised profits were entirely imaginary.

## Origin

A trick of confidence which if successful made for easy money.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.