penny vs sterling

penny

noun
  • In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d. 

  • In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p. 

  • A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d. 

  • In various countries, a small-denomination copper or brass coin. 

  • Money in general. 

  • In the US and (formerly) Canada, a one-cent coin, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢. 

  • In Ireland, a coin worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p. 

verb
  • To circumvent the tripping of an electrical circuit breaker by the dangerous practice of inserting a coin in place of a fuse in a fuse socket. 

  • During a meal or as part of a drinking game, to drop a penny in a person's drink such that they must finish it (or some such variation thereof); commonly associated with crewdates at Oxford and swaps at Cambridge. 

  • To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the doorframe and the door. 

sterling

noun
  • The currency of the United Kingdom; especially the pound. 

  • A structure of pilings that protects the piers of a bridge; a starling. 

  • Sterling silver, or articles made from this material. 

  • Former British gold or silver coinage of a standard fineness: for gold 0.91666 and for silver 0.925. 

adj
  • Of, or relating to British currency, or the former British coinage. 

  • Of, relating to, or made from sterling silver. 

  • Of acknowledged worth or influence; high quality; authoritative. 

  • Genuine; true; pure; of great value or excellence. 

How often have the words penny and sterling occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )