Meaning Of Idiom ‘Brownie Points’
You get brownie points for doing something good. So, brownie points refers to credit, praise, or admiration someone gets for doing a good deed or for doing something nice.
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Usage Notes
Brownie points are an imaginary system of reward and the idiom is usually used tongue in cheek. And, when somebody does something for the purpose of getting brownie points, then the idiom becomes pejorative. For example, someone may try to get brownie points from their boss by being a brown noser.
It was originally used to refer to someone who was seeking credit by doing something, as in ‘she’s looking for brownie points.’ It can, of course, still be used that way today but it’s also used more generally to refer to praise or imaginary credit. If a husband gets brownie points from his wife, she might allow him more leeway when he messes up again.
The term brownie points is commonly associated or used with several different verbs. You can say:
- get brownie points
- score brownie points
- earn brownie points
You can also use any similar verb.
Examples Of Use
“Don’t I get some brownie points for being nice to your aunt while she was here? The lady is insufferable.”
“I offered to drive my mother-in-law to her doctor’s appointment, hoping to score some brownie points.”
“You don’t get brownie points for showing up. You have to try hard.”
“Telling your audience what they want to hear may get you some brownie points but you aren’t doing them any favors.”
Origin
The term brownie points comes from a division of the Girl Scouts called the Brownies. These are the youngest junior girl scouts, girls in the second or third grades, ages 7 to 9. Brownie points refer to the system of credits or awards the Brownies got for various achievements. The term brownie points passed into general use some time during the mid-1900s.
