The “whatever those are” comment that I made was a well intended poke-fun at the British slanguage interpretation of a 2 ½ pence coin. My first encounter with tuppence ha’ penny was reading Dickens in high school. I’ve seen it spelled a couple of different ways. To me, such colloquialisms are part of the charm of British heritage. I am glad they did not adopt the Euro as the significance of these numismatic gems would have been lost within two generations.
The British had another coin called the Thruppence. We had the same coin in the US. My Mother hung onto one when the Government recalled them for removal from circulation. She told me it was a three cent piece. It was minted in nickel. As a child, I thought it was a dime because of its size. It is stashed in this house somewhere. Now that I have thought of it, I will have to keep an eye open for it.
I am still not sure what a shilling is, I think is is the equivalent to our nickle (20% of a dollar), but to me it sounds like a fish.
Who but the British would think to name a bicycle after two coins (the Penny Farthing) but it makes sense when you look at the size of the two wheels.
Oh shut up Seymour and eat your choc ice!