not worth a curse
Preserved but no longer current.
I don't care a curse (or cuss). Here "curse" is the O.E. cresse or cerse, Mod. E. cress., i.e. something quite valueless. Similarly, the Lat. nihil (nihilum) is ne hilum, not (worth) the black eye of a bean. Other phrases are "not a straw," "n9t a pin," "not a rap," "not a bit," "not a jot," "not a pin's point," "not a button.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “not worth a curse” mean?
I don't care a curse (or cuss). Here "curse" is the O.E. cresse or cerse, Mod. E. cress., i.e. something quite valueless. Similarly, the Lat. nihil (nihilum) is ne hilum, not (worth) the black eye of a bean. Other phrases are "not a straw," "n9t a pin," "not a rap," "not a bit," "not a jot," "not a pin's point," "not a button.
Is “not worth a curse” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.