bad money—a forged currency:
- “To ring the changes” in low life means to change bad money for good.
Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase good money—
1. money that is genuine, not counterfeit:
- They’ve got some good money, as well as bogus notes.
2. a fairly large amount of money:
- But for his inherent meanness, he would have gladly paid good money to be rid of her.
bad penny, a—an objectionable person or thing that can be counted upon to reappear (in allusion to the saying “a bad penny always turns up”):
- I persevered … to disuade the dog from darkening my door again but little did I realise at the time, this was a bad penny we were dealing with.
Note:
a) The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the phrase pretty penny, a—a fairly large amount of money:
- You can expect these tape decks to cost a pretty penny, although no price has been set as of yet.
b) The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the phrase honest penny, an—money gained or earned by fair means:
- I, then a mere stripling, was trying to make an honest penny by selling homemade candy.