proverb · Words worth keeping
A nimble ninepence is better than a slow shilling.
A nimble ninepence is better than a slow shilling.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying prefers a smaller sum that moves quickly to a larger sum that moves slowly. Speed of use or exchange can matter alongside nominal amount.
What the words are saying
Nimble and slow give money different kinds of usefulness. As an analogy, a modest benefit available when needed may serve a purpose better than a larger delayed one. The proverb does not calculate which choice is financially best; the needs, timing and terms of an actual decision still matter. The useful contrast is between amount alone and practical availability.
Everyday example
A community chooses a small resource it can use for an immediate task rather than wait for a larger promised provision with unclear timing.
When to use it
Use it as an analogy about availability and nominal value.
What it does not mean
It is not financial advice or a guarantee that faster transactions are better.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1149 · Nimble
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English