So where exactly did the term come from, and what happens when you earn them? The real or imagined derivation of a phrase can alter its meaning to some extent, as people would restrict their use of it to contexts that suited their version of the origin; for example, the expression might be used in different situations if the speaker thought it to be derived from junior Girl Scouts than from the vulgar US military usage. 2005, Problems viewing this page?
Help support the Grammarphobia Blog with your donation. - The Curtis Publishing Company. Here's where uncertainty creeps in. Ration points in various colours were required to buy food. What esoteric cult was this that immersed men in pixie mathematics? Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping usto understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Why Do We Want to Squeeze/Bite/Pinch Cute Stuff So Badly? If Hitlers Regime was the Third Riech, Who Were the First and Second? Brownie points in modern usage are an imaginary social currency, which can be acquired by doing good deeds or earning favor in the eyes of another, often one's spouse. Started way back in the days of the leprechauns, I suppose, long before there were any doghouses.. [3], Another proposed etymology is that the term derives from the name of a 19th-century American railroad superintendent, George R. Brown who, in 1886, devised what was then an innovative system of merits and demerits for railroad employees on the Fall Brook Railway in New York state. Started way back in the days of the leprechauns, I suppose, long before there were any doghouses.. Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Douglas Wilson has suggested that its origin may lie in part in wartime American food rationing, in which ration points in various colours were required to make food purchases: red and brown ones for meats and fats, for example. (Forbes Magazine). The singular form, brownie point, is rarely seen. The name was coined by Lord Baden-Powell who took it from a 1870 story by Juliana Horatia Ewing, in which children were given the option of becoming 'helpful Brownies'. The most probable source of the noun brownie point is the Girl Scout and Girl Guide rank of Brownie. Brownie points are imaginary merit points awarded for the performance of good deeds or favors, it is usually a derogatory term. The term 'Brownie' was used as US student slang from 1944 and is recorded as such in a 1944 edition of American Speech, which defines the word as: "A person who is always asking and answering questions in class to impress the instructor. - American military slang. As a result, some were reluctant to be civil for fear they would be harassed for sucking up. The Miles article mentioned above supposed the expression to relate to pixies, based on the Scottish imp folk tale. If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show (iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, Feed), as well as: Andrew M. asks: Why do we say You just earned some brownie points. What were brownie points originally for? The term "brownie" in the sense of "brown-noser" was in use in the 1940s. We use the term as an idiom for someone trying to earn favor or approval, If I do this I might earn a few brownie points. The goal, these husbands explained, was never to get ahead; they merely wanted to be considered somewhat respectable in the eyes of their wives. The system was widely introduced on US and Canadian railways at the end of the nineteenth century; it was invented by Superintendent George B Brown of the Fall Brook Railway Company. The word brownie in that citation was student slang for the noun brown-nose. A 1944 issue of American Speech includes this definition: Brownie. (The South China Morning Post), This progress will also win Brownie points for the agent with the vendor and creates the room for the agent to turn to the other important part of their role vendor expectation management. The English language is forever changing. Toe Dancers High school sissies. - The Eastman Kodak company's Brownie Camera Club. Brownie points! Children could submit photographs into competitions and win cash prizes. The delivery boys received green and brown vouchers, called 'greenies' and 'brownies' (equal to five greenies). To earn credit by doing some little task to earn a badge or prize is fine for Brownies but its childish and a bit embarrassing if an adult does it. Fluffs Fat boys. However, so far as I can discover, these werent actually referred to as brownie points. What Those Nasty White Chunks That Sometimes Come From Your Throat Are, The Difference Between a Fact and a Factoid, Marilyn Monroe was Not Even Close to a Size 12-16, A Japanese Soldier Who Continued Fighting WWII 29 Years After the Japanese Surrendered, Because He Didnt Know. They had a system of merits and demerits which was well-known and copied by other railways. OED Online.
The Historical Dictionary of American Slang argues that Brownie points, too, was US army slang from that period, a view backed up by indirect and anecdotal evidence. If a husband gets brownie points from his wife, she might allow him more leeway when he messes up again. Brownie by itself is recorded as student slang from 1944 in this sense in the journal American Speech, which defined it as A person who is always asking and answering questions in class to impress the instructor. Miles was perplexed. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Accounts of his system were published in railroad journals, and adopted by many leading U.S. It seems probable that two or even three threads came together to form the phrase. However, despite a lot of documentation about this system, the term brownie points wasnt recorded until 1942, when it was used in reference to the demerits only. Is Ring Around the Rosie Really About the Plague? Select your currency from the list and click Donate. (The Napa Valley Register), The current crop of would-be councillors have made some equally cringeworthy attempts to score brownie points with voters. A teachers pet or apple polisher, in fact. Started way back in the days of the leprechauns, I suppose, long before there were any doghouses.". It may very well be the origin of the term, but there are many other contenders as well, and this is one of those cases where multiple factors may have coalesced to help create and popularize the phrase. As you can see, Miles informant believed that the term was related to the mythological creature. - The system of merits and demerits that was introduced into the work practices of the Fall Brook Railroad in New York State by Superintendent G. R. Brown from 1886 onward. One of these reports was in the Daily News of Newport, Rhode Island, dated 15 April that year; I reproduce it as a quick glance down nostalgia alley for all those American high-school alumni who are even older than I am: We want more new lingo writes a Missouri column fan who wants to be the first to spring new vernacular on her group. It was started in 1900 with the purpose of teaching kids how to use the Brownie box camera. All my buddies keep score. Purportedly, the collection of these "brownie points" eventually evolved into the modern usage. An earlier issue of the same journal suggested that brown-nose itself was pre-war student slang that was carried into the American military by cadets. As it stands, most etymologists think this is an unlikely origin of the phrase. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. This helpfulness was encouraged in the Girl Guides, who displayed the merits they had earned in badges which were sewn on to their uniforms. (The Hindu), As a Christian, I shudder to think how it must feel to see my religion vilified for political brownie points. Further, the term brownie points started off in the school yard, working itself into student slang, and was recorded in the 1944 edition of American Speech: A person who is always asking and answering questions in class to impress the instructor. Copyright Michael Quinion, 1996. The Oxford English Dictionary says brownie point, a colloquial usage that originated in the US, is probably a development from brown-nose, but its popularly associated with Brownies, hence frequently spelled with capital initial., The Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang says the expression comes from the point system used for advancement by the Brownies of the Girl Scouts of America; but strongly reinforced by brown-nose.. A notional mark of achievement or kudos for performing some creditable act. World War II food rationing, where brown points were used to buy meat and fat; the use of brownie points for demerits in World War II army jargon; brown vouchers, or brownies, awarded to Saturday Evening Post delivery boys in the 1930s; demerits, or brownie points, that G. R. Brown, general superintendent of the Fall Brook Railway in New York and Pennsylvania, gave to employees in the late 19th century. In this context, the married men speaking to Miles believed brownie points could be collected by husbands who remembered birthdays and anniversaries, stopped to pick up the dry cleaning, mailed letters, and didnt spend long nights in pubs speaking to newspaper columnists. Also called apple polishing, it prompted other students in class to shame their peers for being friendly to teachers. This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages. As for Miles: the columnist declared his understanding of brownie points came only after a long night of investigation. The number of stamps given out varied with the amount of the purchase. That year, Marvin Miles published an article called Brownie Pointsa New Measure of a Husband in the Los Angeles Times, detailing his experiences hearing about brownie points. These stamps were collected by customers and later redeemed for household gifts. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. While these theories are by no means the only ones, they do appear to have the most credence and a couple of them may be linked, combining to result in brownie points.. [1], A popular marketing practice employed by many stores in post-World War II US was the distribution of stamps with each purchase. Several suggestions have been put forward for where it comes from.
Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? That doesnt explain why its brownie points instead of Brown points or why brownie points are considered a positive thing rather than a negative one. Red or brown points were used to buy meat, which would have been a sought-after commodity. Whats more, there has never been a point system for getting ahead in the American Brownies. Five greenies equalled one brownie. The term brownie points is commonly associated or used with several different verbs. He goes to some length to describe what brownie points are, suggesting that it wasnt a well-known term in the area. No one appears to have used the expression at the time though. Though the term Brownie point for one of the demerits is only recorded from 1942, it is almost certainly older. So here goes: Miami young people keep their teachers agog with their lingo says Sanford Schnier, of the Miami Daily News. Beyond the fact that the source is certainly the USA, no one is sure what the derivation of the phrase is but, as always in such circumstances, many are willing to make educated guesses. The term 'brownie points' isn't recorded in relation to this system. Ill never catch up on my brownie points. When questioned about the usage, the speaker replies: You dont know about brownie points?
