What is a 'Joey' coin?
A 'Joey' is a groat — nicknamed after Joseph Hume, M.P., who campaigned for the small coin to make paying short cab-fares easier. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), human-proofread transcription on English Wikisource records: “A groat; so called from Joseph Hume, M.P., who strongly recommended the coinage for the sake of paying short cab-fares, etc. ( Hawkins: History of the Silver Coinage of England. )”
Origin
- Verbatim from Brewer's (1898): A groat; so called from Joseph Hume, M.P., who strongly recommended the coinage for the sake of paying short cab-fares, etc. ( Hawkins: History of the Silver Coinage of England. )
How to use it
- Modern usage: A 'Joey' is a groat — nicknamed after Joseph Hume, M.P., who campaigned for the small coin to make paying short cab-fares easier.
- When quoting the origin, cite Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — this is a 19th-century record, not a modern etymology.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.