# row of pins

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/row-of-pins
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An insignificant thing, a whit.

## Examples

- That old broken chair does not matter a row of pins to me.
- Your opinion on my new shoes does not matter a row of pins.
- He argued about the minor spelling error, but it did not matter a row of pins to the final result.
- The color of the curtains does not matter a row of pins as long as the house stays warm during the winter.
- Whether we arrive five minutes early or late does not matter a row of pins because the party will last all night.
- In the grand scheme of the company's financial collapse, the loss of a few office supplies mattered not a row of pins to the shareholders.

## Origin

The expression arises from the disposable rows of pins used in nineteenth-century sewing. Before the advent of modern manufacturing, dressmaking pins were sold in paper strips, an arrangement that rendered the individual components both ubiquitous and essentially worthless. The phrase persists as a measure of insignificance, equating the value of an object or a person's opinion to that of a single, mass-produced fastener.

---

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.