brownie point

noun

Credit or praise for good work or a good deed, often for the express purpose of currying favor.

“You're really going to get some brownie points from the teacher for that fantastic essay!”

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Meanings

nounbrownie point (plural brownie points)

plural brownie points

  1. idiomaticin pluralslangCredit or praise for good work or a good deed, often for the express purpose of currying favor.

    You're really going to get some brownie points from the teacher for that fantastic essay!

    1 more example

    However, you get Brownie points for having spelled my names right—all of them, and the first time too!

    1967 November, Harriette Bailey Conn, “Women legislators”, in Ebony, page 14

Origin

Unknown, but possibly from brown-nose, and often associated with the points that Girl Guides or Girl Scouts at the Brownie level (ages six through eight) receive for doing specific tasks that when accumulated earn them badges (a sign of recognition) to wear on their Brownie Uniform. First use appears c. 1944 in the The Daily Item (Sunbury).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish irtopiste
  • irtopisteTranslations
French bon point
  • bon pointTranslations
Polish pochwała
  • pochwałaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

brownie point. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brownie%20point

MLA

“brownie point.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brownie%20point. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brownie point,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brownie%20point.

Source: brownie point on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.