Curse

anything worthle . Corruption of the Old English word KERSE , a small sour wild cherry; French , CERISE ; German , KIRSCH . Vision of Piers Ploughman :— “Wisdom and witt no we is not worth a KERSE , But if it be carded with coot is as clothers Kembe their woole.” The expre ion “not worth a CURSE ,” used frequently nowadays, is therefore not properly profane, though it is frequently intensified by a profane expletive. Horne Tooke says from KERSE , or CRESS . The expre ion “not worth a tinker’s CURSE ,” may or may not have arisen from misapplication of the word’s origin, though as now used it certainly means curse in its usual sense. Tinkers do curse, unfortunately, and it will take a good deal of school-board work to educate them out of it, as well as a fair amount of time. The phrase “not worth a tinker’s damn,” is evidently a variation of this, unle indeed it should be spelt “dam,” and used as a reference to the general worthle ne of the wives and mothers of tinkers. This latter is merely offered to those who are speculative in such matters, and is not advanced as an opinion.