Swedishdet är inte värt ett öre
Meaning: Something is completely worthless or valueless.
Literally: It is not worth an öre
Example: “Den gamla telefonen är inte värd ett öre längre.” — The old phone isn't worth a red cent anymore.
English equivalent: Not worth a red cent
Origin: The öre was historically minted in copper, giving the coin its distinctive reddish color, and stood as Sweden's lowest-value denomination — since 1873, specifically one-hundredth of a krona, about as small a unit of currency as existed in everyday circulation. "Not worth a red öre" and its close relative "not having a red öre" both lean on that low-value, low-status coin as an image for something or someone with essentially nothing to their name. Strikingly similar expressions turn up independently across several other languages built on the exact same logic with their own smallest coin: Danish "ikke en rød øre," German "keinen roten Heller," and English "not a red cent" all reach for the identical image of the reddish, close-to-worthless coin to make the same basic point about complete financial worthlessness.
Equivalents in other languages
English: not worth a red cent
More Swedish idioms
- att vara rädd som en hare To be extremely fearful and jumpy, ready to flee at the slightest danger.
- Skägget i brevlådan Caught red-handed in an awkward, embarrassing position.
- Ana ugglor i mossen To sense that something fishy is going on.
- Lägga rabarber på något To claim or grab something for yourself.
- Nu har du satt din sista potatis You've done your last misdeed; you're finished.
- Att göra en pudel To make a public, groveling apology.
Explore another collection: False Friends
Words that look familiar in another language but mean something else entirely.
Keep exploring