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Reader question: Please explain “the penny” and this sentence: The penny has dropped – that now is a good time to invest in the stock market. What penny? My comments: Originally, the penny is in the slot machine – here, the penny is spoken figuratively. The statement means something like this: Now that the waiting period of uncertainty is over, you may finally do something – and perhaps decide it is a good time to buy more stocks. The proverbial penny may refer to a piece of welcoming news stock market players have been waiting for. It could be, for example, a new encouraging policy announced by the government to stimulate the market. Prior to its announcement, people have been a bit anxious, fingering their cash in the pocket, so to speak, not knowing whether it is a good idea to keep it there or to invest the money in the market. “The penny drops”, you see, is the idiom in question. It is, I suspect, an American idiom, judging from its simplicity. The expression originates, understandably, from the use of the slot machine. Each time you insert a piece of coin, be it a penny, dime, nickel or quarter, you wait a while for the metal to drop or register with the machine. Then you hear the clicking sound – the sound of the penny dropping – and know you can proceed with the transaction. If the machine somehow gets stuck, however, you don’t hear the clicking sound, which means the penny hasn’t dropped, the machine is not working. You can gently tap the machine or you can thump it, but you cannot do anything until the penny drops. | 
