Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—H

Half-faced Groat

(You). You worthless fellow. The debased groats issued in the reign of Henry VIII. had the king's head in profile, but those in the reign of Henry VII. had the king's head with the full face. (See King John, i. 1; and 2 Henry IV., iii. 1.)

“Thou half-faced groat! You thick-cheeked chitty-face!”

Munday: The Downfal of Robert, Earle of Huntingdon (1601).

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Half-seas Over
Half-done
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